


Family Matters

by cowochie



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Adopted Eren Yeager, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Awkward Flirting, Character's Name Spelled as Hanji, Distrust, Domestic Fluff, Eren Is a Little Shit, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Hange Zoë & Levi Are Best Friends, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Titles, Light Angst, Past Abuse, Past Character Death, Protective Mikasa Ackerman, Romance, Single Parent Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Slow Burn, Triggers, i cannot believe thats a tag, levi & erwin are a little ooc but not too much, like slooooow slow burn, like srsly, nothing extreme or graphic, romance is in the background btw, so naturally i made it the first paragraph of the chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2020-05-31 10:47:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 39,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19424410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cowochie/pseuds/cowochie
Summary: Very few things made Levi nervous. He was weary of many people and situations, but never enough to be nervous or frightened. That wasn't to say he was frightened right now, no. He was only tensely sitting on his couch in his nicest dress pants and button down shirt awaiting the arrival of the foster child he’d been preparing for over the course of the last three or four months. The child whose walls are apparently so high and so thick that none of the past group homes or foster parents could make so much as a dent, their efforts only resulting in angry outbursts and frustration among all parties involved until they’d eventually given up. The child whose scars run deep and whose distrust seems to be as endless as the sky above. He takes a breath, allowing himself to slow the rapid bouncing of his leg and thinks back on how he got here.[discontinued, currently being rewritten]





	1. Enter: Eren

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first aot fic!! ive had this idea brewing in me for literally like four years but never felt confident enough to actually do it until i was overly exhausted at 2am last night.
> 
> also u guys should know that i am not a professional, nor have i had any personal experience in or with the foster care system. if theres anything that contains misinformation/isnt represented accurately pls let me know!!!
> 
> im not fully sure where this is going yet but it's ok enjoy

Very few things made Levi nervous. He was weary of many people and situations, but never enough to be nervous or frightened. That wasn't to say he was frightened right now, no. He was only tensely sitting on his couch in his nicest dress pants and button down shirt awaiting the arrival of the foster child he’d been preparing for over the course of the last three or four months. The child whose walls are apparently so high and so thick that none of the past group homes or foster parents could make so much as a dent, their efforts only resulting in angry outbursts and frustration among all parties involved until they’d eventually given up. The child whose scars run deep and whose distrust seems to be as endless as the sky above. He takes a breath, allowing himself to slow the rapid bouncing of his leg and thinks back on how he got here.

*

Hanji had been the one to reach out to him. They’d been friends for the better of eleven years, and he couldn’t think of many other people he trusted as much as her, if any at all. She often moaned to him about how difficult social work was and how there was one kid in particular who couldn’t seem to stay in one place for more than two or three months.

“The worst part is that I know Eren can be a really nice kid,” she whined into the receiver. “I see it when he apologizes for the trouble he’s caused every time I pick him up, and it kills me!”

Levi hummed, absentmindedly chopping carrots for his stew.

“Has anyone taken him to a psychologist or something to see what’s wrong?” He mused aloud.

She sighed heavily. “The last couple did. The shrink said he most likely suffers from an adjustment disorder, but it was hard for him to really tell, since all he did was sit there glaring at him.”

Levi hummed again, and moved onto the potatoes. The line was silent for some time and he had half a mind to pull the phone away from between his ear and shoulder to hang up before Hanji spoke again.

“I’m really worried about his chances of being adopted. Most people already aren’t looking to adopt kids older than five, and pair that with his behavioral issues? I’m scared of what that’ll do to his confidence.”

Levi scraped the vegetables into the boiling pot next to him and placed the cutting board back down. “Hopefully someone comes along.”

“Maybe…” she muttered. The line was silent for some time more as Levi moved on to cutting up some beef.

“Levi?” Hanji said hesitantly, which concerned him. She's never been one to second guess herself.

“Yes?” He answered warily.

“Do you think you could— and I know you’ll probably tell me to fuck off! But, um, I was just thinking— if you want, of course— if you could, maybe—”

“You want me to take this Eren kid in,” Levi stated.

Hanji took a moment to answer, before quietly muttering, “Kinda?”

Levi sighed loudly as he seasoned the meat. “Hanji, I’m not ready for kids.”

“Yeah, but,” she said quickly. “I really want the best for him, and I know you were in the system too, so I thought maybe he just didn't needs someone who understands him! And you may not see it, but you’re actually a really parental person—”

“What the fuck does that even mean?”

Hanji continued her rant as if never interrupted. “And it’s only for a bit until we can find someone for him. I could vouch for you, and I already know you make enough money to support way more than just yourself. Your house is clean, he can take the spare bedroom, and most importantly: You know how tough the system can be for a kid! I know you’d do great and—”

“Hanji, slow down,” he said. He moved to the sink to rinse off his hands before grabbing the phone from his shoulder. He leaned his forearms heavily on the edge of the counter and pressed the speaker button, feeling the beginnings of a headache licking its way behind his eyes. He sighed again before continuing, “Did you forget that _I_ was never adopted?”

This fact doesn’t wound him nearly as much as it did when he was younger. It only left a dull ache in his heart which he quickly stomped out.

“Which is why,” she said, slower and softer this time, “I thought you’d be good. You’re the person that comes to mind for this. You can guide him and make sure he doesn’t end up like you did.”

Levi took a few moments to digest that statement. The only thing pulling him out of his thoughts was the fact that the pot was beginning to boil over. He moved quickly to lower the temperature and stir the contents before adding the beef. Hanji called his name, probably thinking he had a stroke or something. He walked back to the sink and held the phone up to his mouth. He thought about what it was like growing up not belonging anywhere, moving from home to home because of his own distrust of people and aggressive behavior. Then he imagined another child going through that, and wondered whether or not they could get through it like he had. Hanji called his name again.

“Can I have some time to think about it?” He could hear Hanji let out a loud gasp.

“Really?” She all but yelled.

“Did I stutter?” He said with faux annoyance. “Give me time to think about it.”

Hanji thanked him profusely for quite some time before Levi had to remind her that she had a husband who was probably wanting to spend some time with her. They ended the call and Levi was left spending the rest of his Sunday night imagining himself as a caretaker, and how he wished he had someone to help guide him through life as a kid.

*

Now he’s here. He signed all the papers, took all the night classes, passed all the criteria, and studied all the extra research he could find about making a child feel comfortable in a new environment, the best meals to feed someone to help them grow strong; hell, he even rented a few movies they could watch if the kid wanted to.

Levi checked the time on his phone, which he’d kept right next to his thigh in case Hanji needed to call him. It was still another twenty minutes before they were supposed to arrive, which frustrated him beyond belief. He deep cleaned the entire house and got ready much earlier than he needed to, which served as a terrible idea since he’d been sitting here for about an hour and a half. Even his ass was getting numb. He took a calming breath, but it didn’t do jackshit as his heart nearly leaped up and out his throat at the sound of the doorbell. He rushed to the entrance and gripped the doorknob, taking a second to collect himself.

The sight that greeted him was his smiling friend standing next to a boy half her size (but still a little more than half his own size, he noted painfully) staring holes into his own ratty sneakers. He noticed a black trash bag clutched in his left hand, containing what Levi imagined is his clothes and shoes. It left a bitter taste in his mouth as he let them both in.

Eren paused behind Hanji as she slipped off her heels. She turned back to him and spoke quietly.

“Mr. Levi doesn’t like when people wear shoes in the house. You can just put them next to his.”

Eren nodded and quietly toed off his shoes before lining them up next to Hanji’s instead of Levi's. He realized he himself hadn't said anything either. He cleared his throat and Eren glanced up at him before avoiding his gaze again.

“I’m Levi,” he said. “You must be Eren. I heard a lot about you from Hanji.”

He held out a hand, the movement causing Eren to jerk slightly backwards, before slumping his shoulders and weakly returning his handshake. Hanji watched this exchange and gave Levi a sympathetic smile before turning to Eren.

She bent down to meet him at eye level, which he only barely returned. “You’re gonna do great here, kiddo. Don’t be afraid to ask Mr. Levi if you need anything.” She straightened out and turned back to Levi. She buffed him on the shoulder with a smile as a way of saying goodbye before slipping her heels back on and making her way out. Now Levi was alone with the kid he was supposed to look after until someone decided they wanted him. Realizing they were still in the entrance Levi invited him in. Together they moved to the living room, an awkward silence among them. Suddenly, all that extra fucking research proved useless as he completely blanked on all of it. Eren was still staring at the ground, tight grip on the trash bag unrelenting. Levi felt that same bitter feeling from before.

“They’re still doing that shit?” Levi muttered, mostly to himself. Eren whipped his head up, apparently surprised to have been spoken to, before returning his gaze to the tile.

“Right then,” Levi said, “I’ll show you around.”

He motioned to the dining area and partly open kitchen as they made their way into the hall. He showed him the bathroom towards the beginning of the hallway and the linen closet across from it, before going further down past the guest room and showed him his own bedroom and the second guest-bedroom-turned-office-pace. Then they made their way back down the hall where Levi opened the door to the room he’d be staying in. It was lightly used, only on the rare occasion a friend stayed over, and mostly empty save for the bed and a small desk in front of the window.

“You’ll be staying here,” he patted the bed to punctuate. “I don’t care what you keep in here as long as it’s legal.”

That part was meant to be a joke but he deadpanned it in such a way he doubted it could be taken that way. Internally, he cringed at himself and cursed his own inability to interact with people other than Hanji and their small group of friends. Eren placed his bag on the bed, and spared a glance in Levi’s direction. For the first time since he’d gotten there, Eren spoke.

“Thanks.”

Levi nodded. He briefly thought about what made him feel welcomed when introduced to a new place before deciding to give him some space.

“Well, I’m going to let you get settled in,” he said. “I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”

That was two hours ago. Eren still hadn’t left the room. By now, even Levi would have come out to take a leak or something. He thought back on what he’d read online and learned in his classes, still drawing a blank despite being relatively calmer than before. He bent forward and rested his chin on his hand, letting out a sigh. He pulled out his phone and checked the groupchat on WhatsApp. He scrolled up and saw Petra and Zeke congratulating him and wishing him luck with Eren. Nanaba is apparently at their niece’s wedding and is complaining about the misfortune of seeing someone so young find a life partner while they remained alone. Levi closed the app and stared into the silent hallway. It was about time to start on dinner, he realized; then he got an idea.

He got up and made his way to the guest room, which he keeps needing to remind himself is Eren’s room now, and knocked at the door despite it still being opened. The noise startled Eren, as he quickly pushed himself up to his elbows from his lying position on his back. Levi took the liberty to walk in and sit at the foot of the bed, half turned to the boy who now brought his knees to his chest protectively. He stared daggers at Levi, and he decided to jot it down as a win now that he wasn’t avoiding eye contact. Even if he knows it’s to watch for any sudden movements.

“Wanna go to Sonic?”

The question must’ve surprised him, judging by the way his death glare turned into wide eyes. Levi also took notice of how his jaw unclenched.

“I don’t usually do fast food,” Levi said. “But today seems like a special occasion, don’t you think?”

Eren rested his head on his knees, mouth and nose covered by his forearms. He shrugged his shoulders, and Levi offered a small smile. He pushed himself off the bed and offered a hand to Eren, who tensed once more. His bushy brows pinched for a second as he considered the offending appendage before very hesitantly accepting it. Levi decided it would be best not to wrap his hand around the boy’s smaller one as he scooted off the bed, keeping his palm open and nonthreatening. Eren let go as soon as his feet touched the floor and Levi led him back to the entrance. He allowed Eren to slip on his sneakers before him, doubting he’d be comfortable enough to share the small step with him where he sat. Levi took the time to study him, took in the naturally tan complection of the boy’s skin and the slightly shaggy brown hair on his head. Then he noticed that his shirt rode up a bit on his back as he bent forward to tie his shoes, and further noticed that his clothes didn’t seem to fit him too well when he stood up. He moved to the other wall, and watched as Levi took his spot on the step and slipped on his own shoes. He grabbed his keys from the hook on the wall and they were off.


	2. Sonic Booth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im embarrassed w how short this chapter is. idky i just ran out of creative juice but the next one is much longer so look forward to that.
> 
> i wasnt gonna post this til next week but i got impatient lol
> 
> enjoy!

Once in the car, Levi pulled out the driveway and drove through the neighborhood. Eren looked out the window, clear nervousness causing him to bounce his leg up and down rapidly. Levi thought of what might calm him down as he drove. He could offer to play music, but that probably won’t do much. Not to mention all of Levi’s playlists weren’t exactly PG-13. He didn’t want to start talking about rules and boundaries just yet, not until he can sit him down and (knock on wood) calm him down with some food. He definitely won’t be bringing up the fact that he doesn’t seem to have been bought any new clothes in a while. He wonders if he’s hitting a growth spurt, and realizes he’s not too sure when those are supposed to happen. Clearly he never hit one, standing at not-so-impressive five feet, three inches. He used to resent his height, but he thinks he’s now reached the age where he just really doesn’t give a shit. He took another quick glance at Eren’s clothes and studied the faded colors and the way they fit him too short and too snug even as he sat.

When was the last time anyone bothered to buy this kid some fucking clothes? This thought frustrated Levi, though it wasn’t at all directed at the boy who now noticed Levi staring at him. He sort of hunched his shoulders a bit and shifted further away from him. Levi silently reprimanded himself for being weird and kept his eyes on the trained road until they got to their destination. He pulled into a parking spot and turned his head to face Eren.

“Drive-thru or inside?”

Eren seemed to actually contemplate this before shrugging. “I dunno.”

A real, honest answer. Levi counted this as another win.

“Let’s flip a coin then,” Levi suggested. He poked around for a quarter in the cupholder between them where he kept his change. “Heads for drive-thru, tails for inside.”

It landed on tails, and Levi secretly wished it hadn’t. The thought of all the gross shit those tables might’ve seen sort of disgusted him. Of course the same could be said for the food, but they were already here. They exited the car and Eren kicked away a rock as Levi locked the car. He held the door open for the boy, who grunted out what he assumed was a thank you. They stood in line behind two other people and Levi asked if he knew what he wanted. Eren asked for a chicken sandwich.

“Would you like a milkshake?” Levi asked him.

“Can I have a soda?”

“Both?”

Eren pursed his lips and looked down abashedly. Levi let out an amused breath and told him to pick a place to sit while he ordered. He walked back after a few minutes, tray in hand, to the table where Eren sat, playing with an abandoned ketchup packet. They ate together in silence, and Eren seemed to be mostly at ease. For a second, Levi questioned whether or not now was a good time to lay down some laws. Then he reminded himself that it’s better to do it now that he’s calm rather than when he’s agitated. He put down his own sandwich and cleared his throat, pulling Eren away from the piece of oreo he was currently scraping at the bottom of his cup with a spoon, which apparently required a lot of concentration.

“I think,” Levi started slowly. “Now’s about as good as time as any to lay down some ground rules.”

Eren dropped him arms to his sides and remained quiet. Levi took it as an invitation to continue speaking.

“First off: If you need something, you have to tell me. It probably sounds like a weird rule but it’s a rule nonetheless. Secondly, I take lying as a sign of disrespect, and that’s not tolerable. I’m going to be open and honest with you, and I expect the same treatment. Lastly, keep your room clean. Additionally, you’ll have a list of chores that you need to do everyday.”

At that, Eren made a face. Levi shook his head.

“Chores won’t be compromised. If you do enough of them throughout the week you’ll get rewards. We can talk more about that in detail later, if you’d like. Do you have any questions?”

Eren shook his head, and Levi nodded. They continued eating, and Levi wondered what else they should talk about. So far Levi has been doing all the talking and Eren has just been nodding along. This kid, Levi thought to himself, is hard as fuck to read.

He suggests that they ask each other questions to get to know each other better. Eren agreed to this a bit hesitantly, but by the time they finished their food, Levi learned that Eren hates math, doesn't know what he wants to be when he's older, and really likes spaghetti. Also his favorite color is maroon. In turn, Eren learned Levi didn't have a favorite color, works as a freelance photographer, is 34 years old, and his favorite food is jumbo coconut shrimp. They left feeling a little less awkward. On the drive back, Levi mentioned that he would be taking Eren to pick put some clothes tomorrow, to which the boy in questioned picked at his worn shirt in embarrassment before nodding. All in all, things could've gone much worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was only a miserable 875 words. sorry ab that :(( BUT the next one is around 3000 words so?? that's better??
> 
> side note levi listens to r&b & trap bc i am the god of this au & i will 100% make him listen to the most ooc shit out there bc i find it hilarious


	3. Rebellious Stage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone it is 2am & im Dying
> 
> still not fully sure where this is going since this story is sorta writing itself at this point but i have a very vague idea of how to end it so that's that
> 
> i tried to make this longer since last chapter was crazy short but clearly i cant write lengthy chapters to save my life so ://

After just a few days of living with Levi, Eren began to push boundaries. This was expected, as he was known to have behavioral issues but Levi was still having trouble keeping up with it; his houseplant never talked back to him.

It started when Eren asked if he could stay up late to watch some show about a big group of people living in a house together and competing for a million dollars. Of course he told him no, because it was ten o'clock at night and he needed to get his full ten hours. This refusal was met with a groan, which Levi told him not to do. This then lead to a much louder, drawn out groan punctuated by Levi having the door slammed in his face when he followed him to say goodnight. Levi resisted the urge to scream, frustration thumping at his chest.

The day Eren arrived, Hanji had given him a folder with his medical records, birth certificate, reports from group homes, and an additional report from that shrink she'd mentioned the night she asked him to take the kid in. A couple of the ones from the homes noted that there were obvious signs of abuse from before he was in the system, which they suspected to contribute to his defensive behavior.

The folder also had the police report from the day they found him. His mother had died in a car accident a few years prior, and his father had abandoned him. The police were called when neighbors reported that they checked the kid next door's window because they hadn't seen his dad home for days, and saw him alone in his room with no food or water. When the cops broke down the door, he'd hidden under his bed and screamed for his daddy, continuing to cry long after he'd been driven to the hospital. The floor of the room he was kept in was covered in urine and feces. He'd soiled himself in his pajamas and was sitting in it, breathing all the toxic air for at least three days. On the bed was a plate, which he'd explained to the nurse that his daddy made him a sandwich before leaving.

Naturally, he had a weakened immune system and a high fever. They kept him at the hospital for a week until he regained his strength and got better. With no other known family members to take care of him, he was put into the foster care system after his discharge. Reading all this made Levi feel sick to his stomach, imagining someone so young go through such hardship.

He took a deep breath, counted to ten, and calmly opened the door to the bedroom. He needed to keep a level head to deal with this situation. Eren was curled up on the bed, arms crossed with his back to the door.

Levi took a seat next to him, half turned to the unmoving boy.

"Eren," he said, voice firm. "Why did you close the door in my face?"

No response.

"I told you disrespect wouldn't be tolerated, did I not?"

At that, Eren's frame went rigid. He could see the slight tremor in his back. He got up from the bed, and watched as the boy curled further into himself as he shook violently, wrapping his arms around his abdomen protectively. That one movement told Levi all he needed to know. Right now, Eren was afraid of him. Any anger left in him slipped away in an instant as he made his way around the bed. He kept some distance between the two of them and crouched down to meet the boy at eye level. The poorly hidden terror in his misty eyes silently ripped Levi's heart right out his chest.

"No TV for a week," Levi said softly. Then slowly Levi held up his open palm in front of him.

Eren stared at it for a few seconds, before hesitantly unwrapping his right arm from around himself and placing his shaking hand on top of it. They stayed like that for some time until the crouching position was causing his knees to hurt and he righted himself. He quietly wished Eren a good night and made his way out, closing the door behind him. He stood there, back to the door as he listened to Eren's poorly muffled crying. He felt tears prickling his own eyes, and it was all he could do to not let the boy on the other side of the door hear the way his breath hitched slightly.

*

The next morning, Eren shuffled into the kitchen with puffy eyes and a dangerous case of bedhead. He climbed on to one of the stools at the island of the counter and Levi handed him a bowl and a box of cereal. Levi studied him as he poured out his breakfast, noting that he probably didn't get much sleep judging by the dark eye bags. Levi placed down his cup of coffee on the counter as Eren finished pouring milk into his bowl. Levi sighed.

"Do you want to talk about what happened last night?" He pressed. 

Eren stopped chewing and stared at the marble counter in front of him. He didn't answer. Levi decided this wouldn't do.

"Listen," he said. "I know some of the things that happened to you. I understand you still may be affected by them, and a lot of other stuff I probably don't know about, but you can still talk to me, you know?"

He hoped this would make him more comfortable, but instead Eren seemed curl in on himself, bowl of cereal abandoned as he kept his arms close to his sides. Levi regretted it immediately & mentally kicked himself for choosing to press him on the issue so soon after waking up. He sighed.

"Did Hanji ever tell you about me?" Levi asked. At Eren's curious look, he continued. "I guess not."

He pushed himself off the counter across the kitchen and walked over to the one directly across from Eren. He thought hard about what he would say next.

"Remember how I said I would be open and honest with you? Well that's what I'm doing now," he started, mulling over his next words carefully. "When I was a kid, I was also in the system."

Now he had Eren's full attention.

"Our situations were similar too. My dad left after he got my mom pregnant, so we lived by ourselves for a while. But my mom got sick, and— well, uh— she passed. We didn't have a phone or anything like that so I couldn't call someone for help. The landlord found me when he came by to collect rent."

He wished he could say he has no idea why he's telling life-fucking-story to a kid, but he does. He knows full well he's doing this for Eren. But knowing why you're doing something never makes it any easier to do.

"I never got adopted. I was homeless for a while after until a friend let me crash at their place. I owe them my life. Now I'm here with you."

He gave Eren time to digest the new information. Levi went back to his respective side of the kitchen and finished his cup of coffee. As he turned to wash his mug in the sink, Eren spoke.

"Do you ever miss her, your mom?"

This took Levi by surprise, but he hid it well.

"Everyday."

Eren finished up his breakfast, muttering that the cereal had gotten soggy. Then he'd slipped off the seat & made his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. It was then that Levi let himself feel some of the emotion he was pushing down. He held his head in his hands, elbows supported by the edge of the counter next to the sink. He breathed deeply and heavily, each exhale accentuated by a slight quiver. There's nothing in this world Levi hates more than talking about his childhood, even if he kept it brisk and spared him of the details, but this was a special case. Eren needed that, and weirdly enough, so did Levi.

He headed to his bedroom to use the bathroom in there. He probably won't be changing out his old basketball shorts and undershirt for a while since they didn't have any plans for the day. He took a leak and brushed his teeth quickly before stepping back out to the living room where Eren sat on the couch, staring at the blank TV screen.

"No TV," Levi reminded him.

"I know," he answered bitterly.

Levi sat on the opposite side of the couch. He's not sure what twelve year old boys were into, other than television. They could talk, but he doesn't want to force anything. Eren doesn't seem very uncomfortable, not counting the miserable look of boredom on his face as he studies the ceiling. In the end he opted to sit quietly with him. Eren doesn't seem to be bothered by the silence, so Levi might just be working himself up over nothing.

"This sucks," Eren said eloquently. Levi couldn't help but huff in amusement.

"There's not much to do around here," he admitted. "Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

Eren shrugged and answered a little sadly, "Not really. And I don't have any friends to see."

"School starts in three months. I'm sure you'll make lots of friends there.You're repeating a year, right?" Levi turned his head to look at him.

Eren shifted uncomfortably in his seat before nodding.

"Don't be embarrassed," Levi said. "Between you and me, I dropped out in eleventh grade."

That earned him a surprised look.

"Don't you, like, need a diploma for jobs or whatever?"

Levi nodded. "I went back after a while and got my GED. It was a bitch to do though, so don't follow my example."

Eren went silent again. Levi could sense that he wanted to say something, going off the way he opened and closed his mouth and glanced at him, so he gave him time to work up the nerve.

"Do a lot of people ask you to take pictures for them?" He said finally.

"Sometimes. I get a lot of calls now during the summer but I don't go unless they make an appointment. I'll take you to the next one if you want, but you might find it boring."

Eren nodded again and that seemed to signify the end of the conversation. They sat together for some time more while Levi lurked in the groupchat, reading about how Auruo got drunk the night before and forgot he and Petra had been married for three years. Eren slipped off the couch and shuffled to his room.

Levi was not in any way, shape, or form sure that he was doing a good job. Eren seemed a little less scared of him, but clearly still hesitant to speak. He knows it's only been a few days but he wondered if there was anything he could do to make him more comfortable. At least Levi knows for sure that he wants to make Eren happy, and wants to be with him until someone adopts him. He tried thinking of things his mother did that calmed him down, like reading and singing to him, but there's no way in blue hell he could do that with a twelve year old. He took a breath. It'd be better to not try forcing this. Instead, he turned on the TV and watched Food Network for a while. Around lunchtime he knew Eren wasn't yet confident enough to either ask for some food or make something himself, so he got up and cut up some fruit for him and brought it to his room.

He knocked softly on the door before entering. Eren sat at the desk with his head rested on his folded arms, craning his next to watch the moving men next door bring in furniture. Levi placed the bowl next to him, earning a nodded thanks in return. He watched as Eren picked at an apple slice, a sad expression suddenly making an appearance on his previously calm features. Levi crouched down next to him. 

"You okay?" He asked.

Eren only shook his head. Levi wasn't sure if he was answering the question, or saying he didn't want to talk about it. He took it as a bit of both. For the third time this week, he held up his palm. Eren took it, not as hesitantly as the last two times, and they sat there for a few minutes. When he finally let go of Levi's hand, he still looked a bit sad but was more at ease. This time he mumbled his thanks, whether for the food or the comfort, Levi wasn't sure. Either way, he stood back up and awkwardly patted Eren's poorly brushed hair before making his way back to the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i always appreciate criticism :D
> 
> also it's Erwin Time next chapter so look out for that ;P  
> im probably gonna edit this properly in the morning after some rest so if theres any mistakes lmk!!


	4. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! this chapter wasn't very fun to write as im battling a gross cold rn but! perseverance!!

For the next two weeks, Eren continued to push boundaries. Levi remained calm every time, which only seemed to piss Eren off further. He slammed doors, talked back, and even threatened to cut all the leaves off his houseplant. Bit of a weird threat, but Levi has had Sonny for a year now (Hanji had gone with him so they could have matching ones, and she lovingly called hers Bean), so he added an extra two days of no TV on top of his current two weeks. This was met with the door slammed in his face again. Every time he did something to get himself in trouble, he cried. Levi wondered whether it was from anger or fear that he'd get violent. Of course, Levi never got angry enough to even so much as think of giving him a smack. He doubted he ever would.

No matter how much he pushed, Levi would never hit or turn Eren away like the boy expected. Additionally, no matter how long it took, Eren would eventually have to accept it— he was stuck with Levi, and there was nothing he could do about it. Even if it secretly and unexpectedly hurt his feelings every time his face was met with the slamming of a door or a demand to be left alone. Still, he won't be disheartened. He swore on his mother's grave he would be the best caretaker this brat's ever seen and he'll be damned if he's going to let some bad behavior change that.

Their worst argument was during dinner. They'd argued earlier that day over Eren's cursing, so they were still tense. It started as something small, like Eren not wanting to eat his carrots, which led to Eren saying his food was garbage.

"Clearly the food wasn't that bad if you ate everything but the carrots," Levi shot back.

Eren crossed his arms. "Whatever."

"Watch the tone," Levi warned.

"You watch  _ your _ fucking tone."

"Mind your fucking laguage!" Levi said.

"Look who's talking!" Eren screamed.

"As long as  _ I'm _ paying the bills here, I use whatever language I please," he said. Usually he wasn't this short tempered, but this was getting ridiculous.

"FUCK YOUR BILLS!"

" _ GO TO YOUR ROOM!"  _ He'd never spoken so angrily to him before, and Eren was clearly taken aback as his words made him jump in surprise and fear.

Then he scrunched up his eyebrows and let out a strangled scream before shoving himself away from the table. The force of the movement caused the table to hit Levi's abdomen and sent his cup of juice toppling to the side. Its contents spilled all over its respective area on the table and dripped off the edge onto the floor. Before he could tell him to clean it, Eren was bolting down the hall and closed the door with a rattling slam. Levi let his fist fall to the table with a loud slam as he held his head in his other hand. Then, of course, the doorbell rang. He groaned loudly and checked the time on his phone next to his plate. Seven fifty-two. Who, on God's green,  _ shitty _ earth, was at his door this late in the evening? He got up and crossed the distance between the dining area and the front door in about half a second and all but ripped the door open. What greeted him was a very tall, blonde man holding tupperware with what appeared to be cookies.

"Hi! I'm Erwin Smith, your new neighbor. I brought som—" he was cut off when Levi closed the door on his face.

Normally, even he wouldn't have been so rude. Eren must be rubbing off on him. He checked the peep hole and saw that the man was shuffling from side to side uncomfortably before turning away and walking off. Levi didn't have time to regret his shitty, downright childish behavior, as he had a very angry twelve year old to attend to. At least taking out a bit of his frustration on someone helped clear his head a bit. He cringed at the mess on the dining room table as he passed it, opting to deal with Eren before the spill.

He knocked softly on the door before entering. Eren was lying face first on his pillow, shoulders hitching with every teary breath. Levi sat next to him.

"Eren," he said. No response. He brought his legs up and sat in a criss-cross position and leaned his elbows on his thighs. "Eren, please look at me."

The boy in question buried his face deeper into the pillow with a quiet whine. Levi sighed sympathetically.

"I promise I'm not mad," he ran a hand down his face. "I'm sorry for cursing at you and not being patient. That wasn't fair of me and I should've known better."

Eren stopped crying, now only hiccupping as he took deep breaths. After a few moments of his, he mumbled, "I'm sorry too."

Finally, he turned his head to Levi, eyes still misty and face full of snot. "Your food's not trash."

Levi huffed before offering a small smile and answering honestly. "I forgive you."

Eren nodded, still not looking at him. He sniffed loudly and rubbed the sleeve of his hoodie under his nose grossly. Levi poked his side a few times, causing the boy to wiggle.

"Will you sit up now?"

Eren sighed before pushing himself up and matching Levi's sitting position. His smaller knee brushed up against his own, and Levi noted that he didn't shift away. He sniffed again and rubbed some more at his nose, and Levi struggled to keep his face neutral.

"Who was at the door?" Eren asked.

"Guy who moved in next door."

"What'd he want?"

"I dunno," Levi shrugged. "I closed the door on his face."

Eren chuckled wetly. "Nice."

They sat comfortably like that for a bit until Levi could no longer stand the sight of snot all over Eren.

"Go shower while I go clean up," he stood. Eren nodded. Levi left him and heard the water running while he wiped up the juice from the table and floor. 

The morning after, there was a ring at his door. Eren's head shot up and he looked between Levi and the door, an unreadable expression on his face. Levi went to open the door, not noticing that Eren had scurried away to his room, and was met with the guy from last night. Levi had hoped he wouldn't be back around, not wanting to deal with the consequences of how poorly he treated his neighbor yesterday. Still, the guy smiled at him. He had a pretty nice smile, Levi noticed. Unrelated, but he also noticed he had some insanely thick brows. He was holding the same tupperware from yesterday. 

"Hi! I'm Erwin Smith, your new neighbor. I brought some cookies."

Huh. Had he rehearsed that?

"Levi," he answered simply. He offered a hand. "Levi Ackerman. Sorry for yesterday."

The man gave his hand a firm shake.

"No need to apologize, I came at a bad time."

"Thank you for the cookies," Levi accepted them from him.

"Of course," another handsome smile. "I live with my daughter, Annie. She's twelve. Do you have any kids?"

"Um—" Levi wasn't fully sure how to answer that. Technically… "Yes. Eren. He's the same age"

"Oh good!" Erwin said. "I haven't met anyone else with kids on this street. Maybe they could meet sometime?"

Levi shifted to lean on the doorframe. "Maybe."

"Good then," he said, looking right fucking pleased. His smile was so blinding Levi had half a mind to squint against it. "I'll get out your hair. See you around?"

Levi nodded, most definitely lying. "Yeah."

They shook hands again, and Levi closed the door behind him. He looked at the baked goods in his hand and hummed. Maybe some cookies will cheer Eren up. He walked to his room and knocked before entering.

"Hey, I have some—" He stopped. Eren was on his knees in front of the dresser with the same trash bag he had when he first arrived, stuffing it with the clothes Levi bought him. "What are you doing?"

Eren stared down at the clothes on his lap, shoulders tense. "Isn't Miss Hanji outside?"

Levi placed the cookies on the bed and knelt down next to Eren. "No, that was only the guy from yesterday."

Eren's bushy brows shot up before scrunching up as he whipped his head to the side away from where Levi was facing him. His shoulders had a slight tremor.

"Eren, look at me." He placed a gentle hand on his back. The boy turned to look at him, tears in his eyes. "I'm not throwing you out because of some stupid fight."

Eren sniffed loudly before looking back down at his lap. Levi held out his palm, and Eren considered it before placing his own hand on it. He whispered, "Do you promise?"

"I promise," Levi said firmly. That earned him a nod. "Guy brought cookies."

He reached behind him and handed Eren the tupperware.

Eren opened them up and gave them a suspicious sniff. Then he took one out and bit into it. He shrugged.

"Meh."

Levi chuckled. Eren took a bigger bite.

"What'th he wike?" He said. Levi cringed.

"Gross, swallow first." Of course, Eren stuck out his tongue and showed him the contents of his mouth. "When I vomit all over you, I'm making you clean it.

Eren swallowed. "Eugh. And I'm the gross one?"

"Yes. Yes, you are."

"So what's he like?" Eren repeated.

Levi thought back on the short encounter. "Dorky as all hell. But I swear the guy was like a giant."

"Must've been normal height, then." Eren said sagely. Levi guffawed, offended.

"I should take those cookies and burn them." Eren held them to his chest protectively. Levi laughed, which felt weird since he'd never considered himself much of a laugher. "His brows were so thick I thought he had a tiny eagle on his forehead."

"Ew!"

Levi patted his head, only slightly less awkwardly than before. "Put these clothes back, okay?"

*

  
  


The next few days, Eren was less combative. This was a good thing. But, he was also a lot sadder. This was a bad thing.

He was even quieter than before, sighed a lot during dinner, and spent a lot of time in his room staring out the window. He didn't even complain about not being allowed to watch TV. Levi tried getting him to open up, but he only shook his head and ignored him; he tried bribing him with a few hours of TV, but that got him nowhere; at one point he even tried to give him five bucks just to get him to give him a hint of what was wrong, all for naught. Nothing was working, and Levi's worry was building with every downcast gaze. 

Then, an idea hit him like a truck. He interrupted Eren's sulking and told him to get dressed. He asked where they were going once they were in the car.

"Sonic," Levi answered. "I'm hungry."

He actually wasn't at all, but that's not the point. They sat in silence while Levi contemplated how appropriate it would be to play Nicki Minaj and Rhianna while in the presence of a kid. In the end they ended up sitting quietly the whole time. They got out the car upon arrival, and walked in together. There weren't many people there, which was good since Levi hoped they could talk somewhat privately despite not being home. He asked Eren to pick a place to sit again while he ordered, and saw that he chose the same spot next to the window as before while he waited for the food to be done. They ate together quietly for a little bit before Levi worked up the nerve to say something. 

"Eren?"

"Hmph?" He swallowed his bite of chicken. "Yeah?"

"Could you tell me what's been bothering you?" Levi said gently. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

Eren sighed deeply. He picked up his soda and twirled the straw back and forth between his fingers. He wouldn't meet Levi's eyes.

"I don't really feel like talking about it," he said. "It's nothing, anyway."

Levi tapped his fingers on the table in front of him. "Look at me, please."

Hesitantly, Eren shifted his gaze. They sort sat there just looking at each other until Eren began to lose resolve. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"The longest place I stayed was two and a half months. They were the worst… they were really violent," he said. Levi nodded expectantly. "While I was there, I met a girl and we were really close. We kept each other company. But then  _ I  _ got taken out and she ended up stuck there."

Levi nodded sympathetically. Looked back up at him.

"I want to see her," he said, his face no longer looked sad or worried. There was determination there above all else. It took Levi by surprise. He'd never seen that kind of expression on Eren. He liked seeing him passionate about something for a change.

"I'll see what I can do," Levi promised. "I don't know whether we'd be able to take her in if she's still in the same house, but I'm sure Hanji wouldn't mind doing some snooping. Can you tell me her name?"

Eren nodded. "Mikasa Ackerman."

That made Levi pause. He must have adorned quite the expression, judging by the way Eren raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Are… you okay?" Eren asked.

Levi quickly schooled his expression to one more neutral. "Yeah, just— my last name is Ackerman too."

Eren's eyebrows shot up and he began bouncing in his seat. "Wait, really?"

"Hanji didn't tell you my last name?" Levi said, disbelieving.

Eren shook his head, still bouncing up and down. Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Some professional she is."

Eren began smacking the table repeatedly. "Who cares about that, you guys are related!"

Levi had never seen him so excited. It was starting to rub off a little, honestly. Still, he kept his voice neutral, not wanting to get his hopes up.

"Eren people share last names all the time."

He shook his head violently, still smacking the table. "No way— you two totally look alike! How did I never notice before?"

"Eren—"

"You have the same color hair!"

"Listen—"

"And! And you're both Asian! Are you Japanese? 'Cause  _ she _ was!"

"Hey—"

"Your eyes also look alike, but hers were less blue and more grey! Oh, and—"

Levi stalled his hands by holding them in his own. He glanced at the people giving them weird looks. Eren finally noticed them as well, and sunk a little lower in his seat.

"I'm going to talk to Hanji. I'm going to try and get her for you, but you need to give me time."

Eren nodded. He ate a few more fries, still bouncing a little in his seat. It made Levi happy to see him so full of life— he hadn't realized just how miserable he'd been until now that he's seen him truly excited about something. Levi was still unsure, though. First he'd have to call Hanji and see if she could find out where this Mikasa girl was, then find out if he could take her in, and go through the whole approval process again. If things go well, it might take less time than it did with Eren since he already has his license. They might want to talk to Eren, but he doubts he'll say anything negative, especially if it means he'll see his friend again. Then he thought about the way Eren described her. Japanese, black hair, grey eyes. It's a vague description, so there's no way to be sure. He's never met any of his family other than his mother. He knew she had a brother, but as far as he knew Kenny Ackerman was in no way, shape, or form a family man. He didn't remember if she had any other siblings, or cousins, or something.

At the very least, he supposed he should probably start making room for one more person in his house.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> erwin is here! yay!! but he has the worst timing! not yay!! expect to see more of him ;00
> 
> as always i appreciate feedback :)


	5. Enter: Erwin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was gonna post this much later but i was bored and had time to edit so here it is
> 
> ive also noticed that ive been putting out these chapters in 2-4 day intervals so i guess that's my posting schedule? i dont wanna say it's for certain tho in case i end up playing myself
> 
> anyways ilu enjoy

* * *

That night, while Eren slept, he phoned Hanji. He told her what had been said to him, only pausing between sentences to take small sips of wine. She listened attentively and hummed along at different points of his story with those being her only form of verbal input. At Levi's mention of Eren suggesting that he may be related to his friend, Hanji made an intrigued sound.

"Do you think it could be true?" She interrupted.

Levi took a sip of his wine. "I'm not sure. I never met anyone from my family other than my mom before she died."

"Hmm…" the line was silent for some time.

"Should I mention it to the agency?"

"I had a kid whose uncle took him in, but that was for a formal adoption," Hanji said. "The DNA testing might take some time, and I doubt you want to draw this out any more than needed."

Levi hummed around the rim of his wine glass in agreement.

"Personally? I would leave it out. And if she's still with those same people, and if they are abusive like Eren said, it would make it that much easier for you to take her in," Hanji said. "The system is crowded as it is, I doubt the agency would mind you taking her in, but you only have the other spare room and you're required for each kid to have their own space."

Levi sucked his teeth in annoyance.

"I could fit the desk from the office in my room and push all the bookshelves to one wall to fit a bed," he said. "The closet is empty too."

Hanji hummed happily. Levi could practically feel her smile through the receiver.

"What?"

"Nothing," Hanji sing-songed. "You just seem to be fitting into this dad role quicker than I thought you would."

"I'm not fitting into anything," Levi said quickly. "This will probably get Eren to stop being so testy, that's all."

"Of course."

"I mean it, four eyes."

"I know."

"Then why are you laughing?"

Hanji barked out, no longer hiding her amusement. "Okay, I'm done."

Levi rolled his eyes and finished off his wine. "Could you just let me know?"

"Yeah," Hanji said. "I'll find out where she's at tomorrow. Can you ask Eren the name of the people he was with?"

"He's asleep right now," Levi looked at the hallways from his position on the couch. "I think he said mentioned someone with the name Nile Dok?"

"Okay," Hanji said. "If the allegations are true and we do find signs of abuse, then a report would need to be filed whether Mikasa is with them or not."

"Would they ask Eren to take the stand or something?"

"I doubt it," Hanji sighed. "Even if they do, you can refuse to have him take the stand since you're his guardian. But in situations like these, we usually find enough evidence to convict them without getting the kids involved."

Levi nodded. Eren only barely opened up to him about what happened, so he didn't want to have him forced to tell a room of strangers the things he wouldn't even tell Levi. Even if he _were_ open about it, putting a kid on the stand just doesn't sit right with him. Right now, his main focus was on getting Mikasa to Eren. He considered the possibility that she might not be able to live with him, whether it be because he gets denied during the approval process or she's already been adopted, and wondered if there would be some alternative way to let her meet up with Eren.

"Levi," Hanji pulled him out of his thoughts. "You're doing that stupid silent treatment thing again."

Levi sucked his teeth again, this time only slightly less annoyed. "Fuck off, I don't—"

"Yes, yes," she said loudly. "You don't do it on purpose and you're a big contemplative baby, I know."

"Actually, I was going to say I don't give a shit about your feelings and that I'm hanging up."

"So cruel!"

Levi smirked.

"The _cruelest._ "

Hanji groaned loudly.

"Please!" She said. "Please, don't be a Dad Joke dad. Anything but that."

"I'm not an anything dad," he mumbled, suddenly embarrassed.

"Uh-huh," Hanji said, clearly unconvinced. "And I'm fully and unconditionally in love with you."

Levi heard a far off _'hey!'_ from Hanji's line, presumably her husband.

"Don't worry, Moblit," she called. "My heart is big enough for the both of you!"

"I'm ending the call now, bye."

"What was that—"

He tapped the red circle on his screen and dropped his phone on the couch next to him. He sat and thought hard about Hanji's words. He's only had Eren in his care for a short while, and still has yet to find out much if not most of the boy's past. He's got a good grasp on Eren's personality: Strong willed, caring, a bit rude, and willing to fight for what he thinks is right. He also knows simple things like his favorite food, color, and show.

Does that really make him like a dad? Does he even feel like a dad? Logically, it's only natural— he has a minor in his care whom he feeds and dresses and fights with. He supposes that, among the other things he knows, is the foundation of parenthood. Then he wondered if Eren thinks of him as a father. Moreover, did Levi _want_ Eren to think of him as a father?

"The longest place I stayed was two and a half months," Eren had told him. "They were the worst."

The closest thing he's had to permanence since being put in the system also happened to be where he had the most negative experiences. He wholeheartedly believed they could make it past two and a half months together. But that begged the question: Did Eren want that as well? He could try talking to him about it, but he suspected that he'd just be shut out again. Hopefully, bringing Mikasa back into his life will help him open up more.

And that's another thing. Is he only using Mikasa as a way to get closer to Eren? Was he being selfish in hoping that he could be seen as— what— some sort of savior if he brought them together? Is that what he wanted to be? Is that fair to Mikasa? Was he really just using her as a catalyst to help Eren's growth? That can't be fair to her.

Maybe this was a bad idea— Maybe he should just call off trying to get Mikasa and tell Eren he did all he could but she'd been adopted and taken out of state. But lying would only put an even bigger strain on their relationship, which would obviously have the opposite effect he was looking for. That would also be abandoning a child in a system where she didn't deserve to be kept in. He definitely didn't want that.

Levi was once always so sure of his intentions. His actions may not have always been kind or just, but his intention was always clear to him. Now for the first time in a very long while, he feels like he doesn't know himself. He'd never admit it out loud, but that scared him. Was he offering to care for Mikasa out of selflessness or selfishness?

He rubbed at his tired eyes, a migraine making an appearance specifically to torture him further. He wished there was someone he could talk to. There was Hanji, but he doubted she'd have any answers for him, especially considering she wasn't a mother. Then, for reasons unknown to him, he was reminded of Erwin from next door. He mentioned he had a daughter, didn't he? Angie, or something? Maybe he could ask him for advice.

He shook off the idea as quickly as it came. An ugly, dark part of him reminded him that his family was probably normal. He probably had a wife who he loved enough to make a child with, and very likely lived a normal life.

He's a real father, that ugly part of him said. There's no way he'd understand.

He ran his hand down his cheek, feeling the light stubble that was growing.

Not to mention you don't actually know each other, he thought.

Sighing, he stood up. Nothing was going to come from him sitting there sulking. He decided to just sleep it off and think more clearly about it in the morning. He washed his cup in the sink before stripping down to his underwear and flopping onto his bed with as much grace as a vegetable.

*

Hanji, true to her word, called the next morning. This was expected, as she almost always keeps her promises, but it was also the ass crack of dawn. Levi had half a mind to let it go to voicemail, but the other half was very sleepy and very much not thinking straight when he tapped the green button. He put the receiver to his face and offered an eloquent grunt as a greeting. Hanji laughed as if it wasn't fuck-ass-o'clock.

"Good morning, princess!"

"Suck a dick," Levi mumbled, turning on his back and rubbing at his eyes.

"Charming as ever, I see."

"What do you want, four eyes?"

"I," she said in an annoyingly sing-songy voice. "Have an update on Mikasa!"

He should've guessed that was the reason for calling, but he's about an entire basket short of a picnic in the first half hour of waking up.

He sat up and tried to force some of the fog out his head. "And?"

"It's," she paused. "It's kind of bittersweet."

Levi waited for her to continue.

"She's still with the Doks, which means that if the abuse allegations are true, it'll be easy to get her out. But that also means she's being going through all that for much longer than Eren was, which I can imagine will only make her adjustment that much more difficult."

Immediately, Levi was reminded of the fight in the dining room over carrots and grimaced.

"It doesn't matter," he sighed. "How long do you suppose until we can get her?"

"Well first you need break into your piggy bank and buy her a bed for that room," she reminded him. "Then I assume the approval would be faster since you were already cleared for Eren."

Levi nodded, dumbly forgetting that Hanji couldn't see the movement before yawning.

"Aw, is the baby tired?" Of course she had to say this in a stupid Mommy Voice. "Does baby wanna go sleepy?"

"I," he broke off in another yawn. "Will seduce Moblit and take him from you."

Off to the side, Moblit spoke up. "Please don't!"

Hanji laughed. Levi has told her a million times that he doesn't like being on speaker, and does she ever listen? The aforementioned exchange is the only answer needed.

"It's too late, Moblit," he deadpanned. "Consider yourself seduced."

He hung up to Moblit's bitching and Hanji's laughing. He dropped sideways as to land on his pillow and twisted his neck to squish his face into the soft material. He grunted, still annoyed at being woken up despite being content that things seemed to be going his way in regards to the Mikasa situation. He nuzzled further into his pillow and fell asleep in that position, phone pinned between his ribs and mattress.

He had a seemingly short dream about himself sitting on his bed playing chess with Petra while Auruo sat on his dresser watching them. The other two people in their group, Gunter and Eld, were also there but they were on the floor playing footsies. The doorbell rang in the distance, but Petra had just made a ballbusting move and he couldn't be bothered to break his concentration.

"Levi," she said. "Levi, Jesus Christ!"

"Hey, Levi!" Eren yelled, shoving his back and waking him from his sleep. "Levi!"

Levi groaned before turning and glaring at Eren over his shoulder. "What."

Eren by now seemed to become immune to Levi's pre-coffee grumpiness. "Someone's at the door."

Levi flopped onto his back and threw an arm over his eyes.

"It's too early."

Eren reached over his abdomen and hit him with the extra pillow on the bed."

"It's twelve o'clock, old man!" He poked Levi's side after throwing the pillow on his head. He jumped back when Levi bolted up.

"It's _what_?" Levi grabbed his phone from under his ass and checked the time. It was indeed twelve. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"I tried," Eren defended. "But you were mumbling about ballbusting and it creeped me out."

The doorbell rang again and Eren raised his brows at him impatiently. Levi pushed himself off the bed and headed for the hall.

"Um," Eren said hesitantly. Levi stopped and looked at him, confused at the wicked look that suddenly crossed the kid's face. "You should probably hurry."

Levi rolled his eyes as the doorbell rang a third time. "Goddamn, hold on!"

He pulled the door open with more force than necessary. Standing on the other side was Erwin Smith in all his annoying blonde glory. He tensed at the sight of Levi, a bright red color flushing his features. Levi looked at him confused for a moment, noticed a draft, and realized he had just opened the door in his Calvins. He felt his own face heat up before he slammed the door in his face. This made it the second out of the three times that he's seen Erwin where he's closed the door in his face. Slowly, he turned to Eren who had been snickering the whole time. Eren, rightfully fearing for his life, muttered an 'uh-oh' at the sight of Levi's rage before taking off down the hall. Levi chased after him.

"Get back here, brat!"

Levi was faster, and intercepted Eren's dash for his bedroom door before he could make an escape. Eren then turned around and ran into the living room. Levi, cursing at him the entire time, chased him around the couch about three times before jumping over it and catching Eren by the collar.

"D— Don't kill me!" Eren said through fits of laughter. "I'm sorry, I swear!"

Levi shook him around a bit. "I'm sure you are, you little shit."

Levi dragged him back to the entrance all the while reprimanding him. " _You_ are going to answer the door and _you_ are going to apologize for being an ass while _I_ put on clothes and think about whether or not to give you a slow or quick death."

He checked the peephole, assuring that Erwin was still indeed standing there. He has no idea why he hasn't left. Dropping Eren, he speed walked back to his room. Instead of putting clothes on, he flopped face first onto his bed and tried his best not to scream. This was fine, he attempted to rationalize. The only thing he and his neighbor knew about each other is their names. Logically, he shouldn't give a fuck about what Erwin thought. But there's a stark difference between not caring what strangers think about his personality and strangers seeing him one cloth away from nudity. He tugged at his hair and shoved down the embarrassment before pushing himself off his bed and finding his go-to home clothes: black basketball shorts and a white undershirt.

He decided he didn't have time to brush his teeth, opting instead to rinse with mouthwash in his bathroom before dealing with the dumb fucking situation waiting for him. As he walked quietly down the hall, he heard something that made him pause.

"So, it's just you and your dad?"

Eren answered quickly, sounding angry. "That's not my dad."

This made him stop dead in his tracks, taken aback by the surprising pain that came with those words. He had to remind himself that he really wasn't Eren's father, and he doubted Eren would ever want to see him as one. It was a bit ironic, he found, to have thought so hard of whether Eren saw him as a father figure and to be so blatantly rejected. Eren himself had walked away from Erwin, heading for his room, and was surprised to see Levi in the hall. He looked down, hunched his shoulders, and walked past Levi to his room. Levi swallowed, trying to collect himself, and walked out to where Erwin was standing in his kitchen. Erwin stood a bit straighter when he saw Levi again, blush back on his cheeks. Levi fought his own embarrassment, expertly keeping his face neutral. They stood there looking at each other for some time before Levi broke the silence.

"Did you need something?"

"Oh!" Erwin said. He held up his mug. "I came for some sugar. Your so— uh, the boy gave me some."

Levi nodded curtly.

"Seems I've come at a bad time again," Erwin commented with a small smile. This was probably his attempt at making things less awkward, which had the opposite effect.

"Don't worry about it, " Levi waved off. He himself worried profusely about it. "Eren's a shit."

Erwin nodded, standing awkwardly in the middle of Levi's kitchen. The latter who, as of right now, really wants him gone if only to relieve himself of the discomfort brought on by having a stranger in his house. Erwin looked like he wanted to say something, but was left opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. Levi cleared his throat, prompting him to speak.

Erwin tensed and gave him a tight smile. "Well, I should get going. My daughter is probably wondering where I am."

"Right," Levi said. "I'll walk you out."

They walked to the entrance in silence. Erwin paused at the door and turned back to Levi. "I'll see you around?"

Levi nodded. "Yeah."

A fatass lie.

Erwin's smile was more genuine then, which made Levi almost wish it weren't a lie. He closed the door behind him and sighed, leaning against the wood. With nothing left to distract him, he thought about Eren's denial of Levi being his dad. He thought of all that he'd done to make Eren comfortable, all he was about to do reunite him with his friend. He balled his fists behind him in an attempt to control the emotion and keep his face neutral.

He was fine. Eren was never meant to see him as a father— their time together was only temporary, after all.

He _wasn't_ Eren's father— not by blood and not by legality.

They'd only be together until someone adopted him. Bitterly, he hoped that would happen sooner rather than later. Levi regretted the thought as soon as it came, and he hated himself for being like all the other shitty adults who've watched over him in the past. He hated himself for being like all the shitty adults that looked over _himself_ at that age.

His heart hurt.

Normally, he would go to Eren's room and talk calmly about what happened. But right now, it felt worthless. Instead, he made his way back to his room and lied down. He placed his wrist against the bridge of his nose, covering his eyes with the back of his hand and forearm. By now, the pain should be gone. By now, he should have stopped feeling it.

And if this were last month, he would have. He didn't know what was different now.

Shut up, you idiot, he thought. You think of him as a son, but he doesn't feel the same way.

He felt hot tears slipping down his eyes and into his hair, despite his best efforts. He clenched his teeth and balled his fist as it shook with the effort to control his breathing and calm his breaking heart. His other fist sat balled at his side, and he slammed it against his mattress with a dull thump, frustrated with himself. He's not stupid enough to have never taken notice of attachment to Eren, he'd only assumed they both felt the same way.

Levi doesn't want Mikasa to live with him. He doesn't want Eren to live with him either. He wants to go back to before this all happened, back when he was contentedly alone all day, everyday apart from when his friends decided to show up and drag him out of the house. He wants to go back to when his biggest concern apart from his well being was remembering to water Sonny. The tears were trickling into his ears, so he turned onto his side in the fetal position, one arm as a pillow, the other clutching his shirt over his chest. Long ago, Levi had perfected the art of silent crying. So he wasn't worried about Eren hearing him break down over something so stupid.

By the end of it, he finally managed to loosen his grip on his shirt and hair (he hadn't realized he began tugging at his roots until he'd let go). He lied there breathing deep, feeling calmer but not better. He remembered reading somewhere that crying regularly is good for the brain, so he supposed this was a form of self care. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and wiped at a bit of snot making its descent onto his lip. He looked at it with disgust before making his way to his bathroom, thankful that he had his own in the room. He pinched his nose between toilet paper to get the snot out without blowing, since he was sure Eren would definitely hear it. He dropped the paper into the bin and took a look at his pitiful state through the mirror. Levi Ackerman, a grown-ass man, just cried like a baby because a twelve year old said he wasn't his dad. If this were anyone else, he would have scoffed.

Rolling his eyes, he pulled off his shirt and shorts. He felt his face heat up as he looked at himself in the mirror, wondering what Erwin thought about seeing him like this. He didn't have a particularly bad physique, though he hadn't found much time to work out since Eren's been with him. But his muscles hadn't gone flabby yet and his abs were still clearly there. He's not embarrassed by his looks— he's actually rather confident in them, but he has some rather questionable scars littering his abdomen and a few on his back. More often than not, partners would ask how he got them. Every time, he'd avoid the questions. Eren had asked him about them the first time he saw Levi shirtless. Levi told him he fought a bear, and that was the end of it.

He rolled his eyes at himself.

He pushed down his underwear and got in the shower.

It helped calm him. The scalding hot water was grounding and gave him something to focus on other than the pain twisting his chest. By the end of it, his skin was red from the heat, and the fringe of his hair was plastered against his forehead.

After drying and putting his clothes back on, Levi walked out into the living room where Eren sat. He was watching some weird cartoon about a cat and a fish. He sat with him and watched the TV for some time. Every now and then he'd glance at the boy on the other side of the couch, and a stormy feeling would circle around in his ribcage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> erwin I Have The Worst Timing In The History Of Ever smith is back. idk if this is ooc (it probably is) but i imagine erwin is super awkward outside of work so that's always fun to write
> 
> also can u tell hanji is my favorite character yet cause i love her sm


	6. Rooms-To-Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> life has been kicking my ass so this chapter is pure self indulgent domesticity
> 
> EDIT 7/12/19: there was sm spelling errors in this chapter, i edited it at fuck:shit am so i was barely even able to see the letters. they've been fixed

The day after was busy. First, Levi had an appointment with a client regarding maternity photos around midday. Then, he had to go to Rooms-To-Go to buy a bed for Mikasa and move a bunch of his office shit to his room. Hanji asked if she could meet up at the store, wanting to help pick one out. Levi didn't know why mattress purchasing required more than one adult, but he agreed nonetheless.

He and Eren sat together on the step of the entrance and slipped on their shoes.

"Hanji will be at the store too," he said. "I know it might be awkward for you to see her around outside of her work but she's a good friend and I want you to get along."

Eren's shoulders squared as he continued to look pointedly at his tied sneakers. "Doesn't matter to me."

Levi left it at that and stood. They exited the house and as they walked across the lawn, something caught his eye.

He turned his head and saw Erwin in the lawn, blocking a young girl's high kicks. As her shin connected with his raised shoulder, their eyes met. Levi quickly looked away, fully intending to continue his pursuit to his car, but Erwin called to him. Eren stopped when he did, looking at Erwin questioningly before looking at Levi.

"Wait in the car," he said. Eren nodded and hurried away once Levi pressed the button to unlock the doors on the remote in his key ring.

He walked up to the four-foot fence where Erwin waited for him. He looked past his shoulder and his eyes met the cold, hard stare of his daughter. She was young and rather short, but her expression seemed beyond her age. Most anyone else would've been intimidated, but Levi only raised a brow at her before addressing her father.

"Erwin," he greeted. Some of the lingering embarrassment towards what happened yesterday reared its ugly head within his mind, but he easily trained his expression.

"Levi!" Erwin answered. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise."

They stood there for a bit. Awkward silences seemed to be a trend with Erwin. His daughter continued observing them. When it became too unbearable, Levi decided to end it.

"Goodbye, then."

"Wait—"

He stalled him with a hand to his wrist, which Levi all but ripped out his grasp in offended surprise. Erwin held his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, but I was going to ask if I could have your number?"

Levi was even more confused. He squinted at him. "Hah?"

"Well, to be honest with you," Erwin leaned in and whispered. "Annie isn't too happy about starting the year at a new school, so I wanted to contact you about her meeting your boy."

He supposed that made sense. He was likely going to have Mikasa joining their house before school starts, but there couldn't be much harm in starting school with an extra friend. He nodded and pulled out his phone. They exchanged contact information quickly before Levi told him he needed to go.

"Sorry to keep you," Erwin smiled. Levi nodded, suddenly very nervous.

"See you around," he didn't even realize he said it first.

Erwin waved him off and just as he turned away, Levi spared a glance at Annie who rolled her eyes.

Once in the car, Eren asked what he wanted.

"My number," he answered simply. He buckled his seatbelt.

"Oh," Eren said, an awkward look on his face. "Con… grats?

Levi knocked his head lightly. "Not like that, brat."

"What for then?"

"You're going to meet his daughter."

"What!" Eren whined, slipping further down his seat. "Please don't make me make friends."

"You're going to the same school," Levi told him. He pulled out the driveway. "It'll do you good to start the year at least knowing someone."

"She looks weird," he muttered. "She was basically beating up her dad."

"No shit-talking," Levi said. "They don't seem all that bad."

Eren remained quiet, leaving Levi to consider just turning on the radio and abandoning the idea of playing his own music with Eren present. At least then he could fill in the silence. He decided against it though, preferring the quiet over the overplayed bullshit the radio undoubtedly has to offer. An annoying voice in his head, sounding too much like Hanji for his liking, told him his own music taste wasn't very different from the radio anyway. He kindly told the voice to shut the fuck up.

The appointment was at a church. It was up on a hill with a lot of grass and flowers surrounding it. It was a rather pretty setting, which led to pretty photos until the baby started getting fussy. Eren was interested in the functionalities of his camera and what angles to take pictures from. Levi showed him the basics and promised to teach him how to handle it when they got home. The couple themselves weren't fully pleased that he was stopping to explain this all to Eren, as it was taking up time, so he decided to leave the camera lessons for later. Eren puffed his cheeks and gave them the stank eye while he walked away to take a seat under a tree near the building.

The husband was polite enough when asking if they could do different poses, but the wife was a total bitch for lack of a better word. She was pushy, huffed a lot, and regularly asked if they were done. This annoyed Levi, as _she_ was the one who contacted _him_ about this appointment. He finished off with a couple photos of the baby lying in the grass. Levi was particularly fond of the one where the baby reached up towards the camera with a daisy in his hand. He managed to snag that one right before the mother came over and yanked the weed out his chubby hand, complaining about germs. He told them that'd be the last one he needed. He shook hands with them both and promised to email the pictures in a week.

Eren had managed to fall asleep under the tree, which Levi thought looked downright adorable. He walked over to him and quietly kneeled in front of him at an angle where the sunlight peeked through the leaves on his hair just right and snapped a few pictures. The shuttering of the camera stirred him, and he woke with a yawn. Levi leaned back on his shins and scrolled through the shots, picking which ones he liked best.

Eren rubbed at his eyes. "Gross, a creepy old man with a camera is taking pictures of me."

Levi snorted. "Shuddup and pose, brat."

Eren looked down the barrel of the camera and stuck out his tongue and middle finger, upper lip curled up. Levi rolled his eyes before taking the picture anyway. Eren scooted over next to him.

"Let me see!"

Levi held up the back of the camera to him, and Eren snickered.

"Nice."

"Wanna take some?"

Eren perked up. "Can I?"

Levi nodded and stood with Eren following eagerly. "Is there anything to wanna shoot?"

Eren held a finger gun up at him and pulled the trigger. "Bang."

Levi smacked his hand away. "Dumbass."

"Rude-ass."

"Language."

"Okay," Eren said, ignoring Levi. He spun around slowly and looked around before something above him caught his eye. "Oh, there!"

Levi craned his neck and looked up into the tree where Eren was pointing. There was a canary between the leaves cleaning its wings. Levi nodded.

"Okay," he bent down a bit to properly show Eren the buttons. "Roll this to zoom, and it should focus by itself. Since it's between the leaves it might go in and out of focus, so just wait until it's clearest and press here to shoot. Keep a steady hand."

"Right!" Eren shook out his hands and jumped up and down like he was getting ready for a boxing match.

Levi positioned the camera in his hands and guided it to his face. Eren held it in place when Levi let go, shoulders squared. Levi put a hand on his back between his shoulder blades and leaned down, looking at the canary.

"Relax," he said quietly. "Tension makes it harder to keep still."

Eren let out a slow breath and waited before snapping quickly when the canary took off from its perch. Eren whipped his head to Levi expectantly, who accepted the camera back from him. He clicked into the gallery and studied the picture.

"This is good," he complimented, genuinely impressed. Eren smiled.

"Serious?"

"Deadly," Levi nodded. "You can help me edit it at home."

"What do you need to edit it for?" Eren asked, following him back to where he'd left the camera stand and the rest of his set up for the appointment.

"I usually just use it to brighten colors or smooth things out. It's not as fun as taking the pictures."

Levi felt his phone buzz in his back pocket, and pulled it out. He muttered an 'oh shit' when he read a message from Hanji declaring her arrival at the Rooms-To-Go eight minutes ago. Eren raised a brow at him.

"Hanji's waiting for us," he said. He picked up his pace down the hill.

"Oh," Eren deflated next to him. Levi bumped him with his hip.

"Work Hanji and Normal Hanji are two very different people," Levi informed him. "She's a lot crazier."

Eren pursed his lips. "She picked me up while wearing blobfish slippers once."

"Sounds about right," Levi said sagely. "She might crush you in a hug, so be warned."

They packed up the car, and Levi drove off. They got there in twenty minutes, and Levi complained that Hanji would have his ass for being so late as they entered the store. Hanji was, of course, in the kids section. She loudly tried to convince Moblit to buy her a Cinderella canopy bed. Moblit seemed relieved beyond belief to have another adult— a real adult— present when Levi caught his eye. Hanji spun around on her heel and made a beeline for Eren, who attempted to shrink away behind Levi.

"Eren! You're here!" She spun him around until they were both dizzy.

"I'm here," he said weakly, stumbling a bit when she finally put him down.

Hanji gave Levi a hard look. He brought a hand up and rubbed at the fine hairs at the back of his head. He was due for a trim.

"You're late," she stated.

"Eren wanted to take pictures," he excused, hoping she wouldn't do what he thought she was going to.

"Punishment time!" She exclaimed. Of course she would.

"Hanji, don't you fucking—"

Oncame her attack. She wrapped her arms around his waist and lifted him with embarrassing ease, and spun him around like she did with Eren, only much more violently.

Eren, the little asshole, was in stitches. His struggle to rip free from her death grip only made Eren laugh harder. He held his stomach and bent over, pointing at him as he tried to wriggle away from the demon.

"Hanji, people are staring!" Moblit said weakly. Hanji gave Levi one last great squeeze before planting him back on his feet. Eren hadn't let up on the laughing.

Levi regained his composure as best as he could, and decided the best course of action was to blatantly ignore the two laughing fools beside him. Moblit nodded to him.

"Seducer."

"Seducee."

Hanji suddenly stopped laughing. "Wait, you were serious about that?"

"Mob, our date is tomorrow at seven. I'm picking you up," Levi smirked. Hanji sputtered.

Moblit sighed. "After what just happened, I think I might take you up on that."

"Fine!" Hanji said. She pulled Eren by the arm and held him protectively to her chest. "Eren is the only boy I need in my life!"

"God, no," he croaked.

Levi flicked her forehead. "Get a life, you're going to smother him."

"I think the employees are gonna kick us out soon," Moblit commented.

"Oh right," Hanji said, suddenly remembering where they were apparently. " 'Scuse me!"

She waved at the group of employees eyeing them down, and they seemed to get into a quiet debate over who would have to deal with the group of crazies that invaded their store. Eventually the youngest of the group got stuck with them.

"What can I help you with?"

The process of choosing a mattress and bed frame took much longer than Levi thought it would. Hanji spoke with the woman about prices and bundles and warranties, all of which went in one ear and out the other for Levi. He was bored beyond belief, but he supposed that since he was the one buying the bed, he should be there for the technical stuff. Eren stood off to the side with Moblit, looking at a race car bed. Levi couldn't help but listen in on their conversation, desperate for something to put his attention on.

"I used to really want one of these," Eren said.

"Have you asked Levi?"

"Nah," Eren said. "I'm way too old for that."

Levi couldn't see his expression, but he could practically hear Moblit's grin. "Did he ever tell you he used to live with us?"

"No."

"It's true," he said. "He was, like, twenty. And he wouldn't sleep unless he had a very _specific_ princess blanket."

Levi felt a vein pop in his forehead, and decided to leave the bed-finding to Hanji. Neither she nor the employee noticed his absence when he walked away to where Moblit and Eren stood. He dropped a heavy hand on each of their shoulders, interrupting their evil laughter.

"Moblit," he deadpanned.

"Levi?" He answered nervously.

"Aren't you the one, " he started. "Who's slept with a stuffed bear since you were 9? What was its name? Chunky?"

Moblit hissed, "I haven't slept with that thing in years, and you know it!"

Eren laughed. Moblit shook bent down and him by the shoulders. "Don't act all high and mighty, you must have something you sleep with."

"Nope," Eren said condescendingly. "I've got nothing, you two are just weird."

"He's got a Batman action figure that he hides under his bed," Levi deadpanned.

Eren pounded his chest with his small fists. "Shut your ass up, how did you find it!"

"Language," Levi warned. Eren continued his onslaught of hits, which didn't actually do anything other than amuse Levi. He looked down at him from the bridge of his nose and smirked.

Moblit ruffled Eren's hair. "Ha! Not so tough now, are you? Though I'm more of Aquaman guy myself."

Eren slapped his hand away. "I hate you both."

Levi and Moblit stood together while Eren went and silently fumed next to Hanji. Moblit glanced at Levi. The pair watched him huff and puff with amusement.

"He's a good kid," he smiled sincerely.

"Yeah," Levi nodded. He didn't know what else he could say, but he meant it.

"Have things gone well with you two?"

Levi kept his face neutral, but glanced away before taking a seat on the race car bed. Moblit followed.

"I think?"

"What does that mean?"

Levi sighed. He felt awkward talking about it with Moblit, but he knew he was good people.

"I thought we were closer," Levi said. "But a neighbor called me his dad and he got angry. Then he stormed off and when he saw that I heard them, he just hid in his room."

Moblit leaned back on his hands and looked at him sympathetically. "That's gotta be rough."

"I cried like a bitch afterwards."

Moblit bent forward and leaned on his elbows, surprise clear on his face. "Woah, really?"

Levi nodded. Though his face was carefully bored, he didn't meet his eyes. He only looked at him when Moblit put a hand on his shoulder.

"If it's any consolation," he smiled. "You both do seem close. My guess is that he just doesn't trust himself to say it. I mean, think about how long it took you to even feel comfortable enough to call me and Hanji your friends."

Levi's felt his eyes widen a bit. He'd completely forgotten about that. When the two of them had taken him in all those years ago, he was just some angry homeless kid with nowhere to go. He never respected Hanji's rules, and the two argued constantly. Levi was always actively trying their last nerve, but they never shunned him— even when they probably should've. Again and again he hurt them, but again and again they stubbornly showed him kindness.

Levi looked away from Moblit to his entwined fingers. The latter didn't seem bothered by it, happy to sit together in silence.

Finally, Levi spoke up. "I really should just steal you away from Hanji."

Moblit laughed heartily. "Wouldn't that be something?"

"What are you two laughing about?" Hanji walked up to them with Eren in tow.

"Levi is hitting on me again," Moblit shrugged. "Can't be helped, I'm a catch."

Hanji's bored expression told them all they needed to know. "Uh-huh."

"So cold…"

Levi looked past Hanji and noticed Eren had three lollipops in his mouth.

"Eren, why are there three lollipops in your mouth," he said rather than asked.

Eren pointed to the woman at the cash register holding Hanji's card in her hand. Levi stood up suddenly.

"Hanji, goddammit, are you paying for the bed?"

Hanji laughed awkwardly and shrugged. "I had some extra cash."

"Extra cash my ass," he said, voice raising. "Don't throw your money away like that!"

Moblit stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We wanted to."

"You were in on this too?"

Moblit matched his wife's shrug. "We were able to do it, so we did. It's simple."

"I'm paying you both back, and if you say anything about it, I'm going to kick both your asses."

Hanji waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Treat us to dinner and we'll call it even."

"But—"

"Can we go now?" Eren whined. Hanji clapped his back.

"You heard the boy!" Hanji smiled. As they walked out she whispered, "Seriously, Levi, we're happy to help."

Levi sucked his teeth at her and followed the group. One of the workers helped them pack the bed and mattress into the back of Hanji and Moblit's truck.

*

They all got back to Levi's house at about eight o'clock. Levi found himself looking for Erwin, despite the hour. Of course, he was probably inside and not getting kicked by his daughter. The three adults hauled in the mattress and bed frame inside with no help from Eren, who stood impatiently at the door with the house keys. They set everything against the wall in front of the window in the office-soon-to-be-bedroom and decided they'd deal with everything in the morning. Levi said he'd start cooking, but Hanji and Eren both requested take-out.

They all sat in the living room while they waited for the food to get there. Eren lied on the couch with his legs up on the armrest, while Hanji and Moblit sat pressed together next to him. Levi sat on the floor between Eren and the couple, his back to the couch. Eren and Hanji were going head to head in Street Fighters. Levi had bought him a Playstation as a gift the week earlier for finishing a month's worth of chores. Things were getting heated to the point where Hanji had resorted to tickling and flopping backwards on top of Eren to obscure his vision. Moblit flip-flopped between cheering for whichever player was winning. No one else seemed to notice the doorbell ring.

Levi got up, paid for the food, and called the children to eat. In a second, the game was forgotten. Levi rolled his eyes at them all as they dug in with vigor. He picked at his rice and glanced at the three of them. Eren sat to his left, and the couple sat across from them. They all got along well and for just a second, Levi felt like he had a real family. The thought came to him like a wave, and he shoved down the emotion with a hearty forkful of rice and beef. Still, it wasn't enough to quell his pride. He felt himself soften whenever he looked at Eren. Watching him interact with the two most important people in Levi's life as if they'd always been together made him happy in ways he didn't know were possible. He looked back up at Hanji, and rolled his eyes stubbornly at the knowing smile she shot his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i swear erwin is gonna be around more often gimme a min


	7. Bed Building

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! there might be a delay in uploading these next few days as im going to miami for my birthday & after that im going a bunch of other places 8))

Levi woke up on the couch with a crick in his neck. Not really the best way to wake up. He yawned and rubbed at his exposed stomach as he blindly felt around for where he'd thrown his shirt last night (the couch absorbs body heat like a motherfucker). Hanji and Moblit had stayed the night, and Levi wasn't going to make them sleep on his shitty couch while he took the king sized bed. Naturally, they'd both refused, but he practically shoved the couple into his room. He found the cloth on the floor and sat up to pull it on. He fished between the cushions for his phone and checked the time: eight-forty-five. He stood up and decided he should make coffee and breakfast. He'd lure out the three of them with sustenance and put them to work when they were all done eating. Levi hadn't the patience to put the bed frame together without giving up or breaking something, so he'd be leaving that part to Moblit. Before that, he and Hanji would move the desk from the office to his bedroom. Eren probably wouldn't be able to offer much help outside of holding his laptop for him.

While the coffee maker ran, he got to cracking some eggs. While he cooked, he realized he felt excited. It'd been a while since Hanji and Moblit stayed over for the night, and seeing the way they interacted with Eren made his heart squeeze. Moblit's pep talk at the Rooms-To-Go last night also helped dampen the anxiety that came with the memory of Eren saying Levi wasn't his dad.

Though he felt happy as a clam, his face would never show it. Eren told him he was "Sorta like a statue sometimes, but you look constipated when you're thinking."

Levi retaliated with a noogie.

He thought back on the memory with a sweet fondness, even though it was just last week.

Yeah, he was definitely happy.

He continued cooking, humming quietly to himself, when he heard the opening and closing of a door in the hall. Seems like the smell of food was doing the trick of waking them up. Eren shuffled into view, hair sticking in all sorts of directions.

"Good morning," he yawned. He plopped onto one of the stools at the island. " 'M hungry."

Despite his supposed hunger, he rested his head on the counter sleepily.

"Have you brushed your teeth?" Levi turned to him.

"After food," Eren mumbled.

Levi rolled his eyes. He ripped a bit of bacon off a slab he had sitting on a plate with the rest of what had finished frying. He walked over to Eren, who's eyes had fluttered closed as he dosed. He dropped the piece of bacon onto his cheek, causing Eren to jump. The bacon fell onto the countertop and Levi smirked as Eren rubbed harshly at his cheek.

"Now I'm all greasy," he complained, picking up the discarded bacon and popping it in his mouth. "Needs pepper."

Levi nodded and reached over to flick his forehead.

"I'm telling Hanji you're hitting me," Eren warned.

Levi snorted. "Then I'll hit her too."

Eren sucked his teeth. It reminded him of his own habit.

Hanji came barreling into the kitchen only a moment after, surprising the both of them.

"Food?"

"Jesus, Hanji," Levi complained. "You can't even walk into the _kitchen_ without making a scene?"

Hanji walked over and placed a grossly wet kiss on the crown of his head. "Levi, my dear, don't ask questions you already know the answer to. Is there any coffee?"

Without waiting for an answer she grabbed a mug from the cabinet.

"You don't need any coffee," he muttered. "Hyper shit."

"Well, bitter as you are, you still drink it so," she blew a raspberry at him.

She finally took notice of Eren.

"Good morning, young one," she walked up to where he sat and leaned over the counter to place a kiss on his head as well. Eren flushed as he gingerly touched the spot she kissed. She leaned back down on her crossed arms and smiled brightly at him. "Sleep well?"

Eren nodded. Hanji moved on to the coffee pot when Moblit walked into the kitchen.

"Morning, everyone."

He walked over to his wife, who let him steal a sip from her mug. He scrunched up his nose before kissing her cheek.

"I dunno how you two drink it like that," he commented.

"Not man enough for black coffee?" Levi jibed.

"Not tall enough to ride at Disney?" He shot back.

Eren laughed and reached over to low-fived Moblit. Levi spun around and wagged the spatula threateningly at the three of them. "You all just lost breakfast privileges."

"Why me?" Hanji cried.

"Guilty by association."

She crossed the distance between herself and Levi before throwing herself onto his shoulders.

"Levi, you can't do this to me!" She nuzzled her face against his. "Brekky is my favorite meal of the day!"

He shoved her face away from him. "Shut up and grab plates."

"Yes!"

Hanji sat next to Eren on the stool and placed plates in front of them before reaching over and placing the last two across from them on the counter. Levi walked over and shoveled servings of bacon and eggs onto each of their plates. Moblit and Levi ate while standing over the counter.

"Eren," Hanji said around a forkful of food. "Are you excited for school?"

Eren shook his head and swallowed. "School is for chumps."

Hanji laughed in surprise as Levi reached over and flicked his head again.

"Looks like you're a chump then," he scolded. " 'Cause your ass will be in school everyday."

Moblit nodded next to him. "Education is important."

Eren poked at his bacon.

"Don't play with your food."

"Ooh, scary!" Hanji joked.

Levi turned his attention to her. "Spit out that food, you don't deserve it."

Much like Eren did with the cookies, she stuck out her tongue and showed the chewed up garbage in her mouth. Levi scrunched up his nose, and Moblit sighed while Eren laughed with her. They finished eating with minimal interruption, and Levi forced Hanji to clean the dishes as punishment for her general Hanji-isms. She promised to leave the kitchen clean as new, hand placed on her raised bicep in a Rosie the Riveter stance. He rolled his eyes at her, but didn't doubt it. Her cleaning skills, at the very least, weren't terrible.

The boys sat in the living room and watched Eren play games. He seemed to prefer first person shooters, unable to focus on story games for more than a few minutes. Hanji joined them when she finished in the kitchen and cheered Eren on, which only seemed to fluster him. When he lost another match, he dropped the control on his lap and began thumping his fists against her arm the way he did to Levi last night and yelled at her to be quiet.

She got up and slung him over her shoulders with ease, and paraded him around the couch like a sacrificial offering. Eren struggled fruitlessly, swearing vengeance. Moblit was practically in stitches, and even Levi felt his mouth quirk upwards at the display. She finally let him clamber off of her when she practically threw herself onto the couch. Levi barked that she could have broken the couch, but she waved him off, instead catching Eren mid-bodyslam.

Levi wasn't surprised as he was exasperated at the sight of Hanji, a tax-paying adult woman, rough housing a tween on his couch. He separated them when he pulled Eren off by the collar, earning whines from the pair.

"It may be Saturday for the rest of you hooligans, but I have work that needs to get done," Levi chastised. "So can we, if I may humbly request, set up the fucking bed?"

"Levi, ever the wet blanket," Hanji sighed. She pushed up from her lying position on the couch. "Manual labor time."

The adults all got up while Eren continued his game and flipped Hanji off in response to her raspberry. Levi snatched her by the back of the neck, and pushed her down the hall as her husband followed.

The three of them spent the next few hours moving things around. Levi also decided to use this time as an opportunity to clean the floors and anywhere else he wouldn't have been able to reach previously. Hanji and Moblit sat together patiently on the floor until Levi deemed it clean enough to start working on putting the bed frame together. They'd moved the mattress itself out into the hall when Levi first began his cleaning rampage. Moblit and Hanji didn't really need or want his help, knowing how impatient he got when figuring out how to differentiate the screws and figure out which piece went where. After about fifteen minutes of him just sitting there pretending to read the instruction manual, Hanji sent him out.

In the living room, Eren was nowhere to be found. He tried the bedroom, but it was empty as well.

Logically, he knew he wasn't far, but that didn't stop his heart from skipping a beat as he erratically checked the bathroom and his own bedroom. He walked quickly to the window at the end of the living room, near the entrance. He pulled back the curtain and released the breath he didn't know he was holding. Eren was standing at the fence separating theirs and Erwin's house and was speaking to Erwin's daughter.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

 **(xxx)-xxx-xxxx** : they look like they're having fun

Levi stared at the text in confusion until his phone buzzed again.

 **(xxx)-xxx-xxxx** : this is Erwin by the way

Levi glanced around Erwin's yard.

 **You** : How did you know I saw them?

 **(xxx)-xxx-xxxx** : look to your right

Levi pressed his face a bit against the glass, and could only barely see Erwins squished face against his own window.

 **You** : at least they don't seem to be trying to kill each other.

 **(xxx)-xxx-xxxx** : if annie wanted to kill him she probably would have by now haha

Levi thought back on the girl's hard-hitting high kicks. Then he compared them to Eren's weak pummeling. The odds were very clearly against him if they were to fight.

 **You** : My kid's got spunk.

Erwin didn't reply. Levi squished his face against the window again and saw him watching the kids again. He wondered briefly if this guy _ever_ stopped smiling. It was a stark contrast from his daughter who, as of right now, had yet to even so much as smirk at his own brat. Then his phone buzzed.

 **Erwin** : would you like to go outside?

Levi squished his face against the glass and saw that Erwin had done the same. He nodded at him as if to repeat the question. Levi pushed his torso a bit closer so Erwin could see him better and shrugged. He pushed away from the window, and took note of the smudges he left and cringed. He'd have to clean that later. He walked to the entrance and slipped on his sandals before walking out. Erwin was already next to his daughter, smiling at an uncomfortable Eren.

Levi walked up next to him and placed a balled fist at the top of his head.

"Hope he's not causing trouble," Levi said.

Eren swatted at his hand and sucked his teeth.

"Erwin," Levi greeted.

"Levi," he smiled back.

Annie regarded her father silently. They seemed to speak telepathically before he smiled broadly at her. He turned to Levi.

"Care for a beer?" Erwin asked.

Levi was a lightweight who didn't trust himself around almost any amount of alcohol, but he could handle one beer. He also hadn't had a drink in a while so there couldn't be any harm in allowing himself a single drink.

"Sure," he said.

He and Eren walked around the fence. Eren rolled his eyes at him when he told him to stay in the yard, which Levi in turn answered by mashing him. He followed Erwin into his house.

"Looks like they met without our help," Erwin said.

Levi glanced back at the kids. "Yeah."

"Does he have a lot of friends?" He asked once they entered. Levi glanced down and didn't see a shoe rack, so he kept his sandals on.

"He doesn't really, no," Levi answered.

"That's a shame," Erwin said. "He seems nice."

They went into the kitchen, and Erwin handed him a beer from his fridge.

"It's complicated," Levi accepted the bottle opener handed to him.

"I understand," Erwin said, opening his own bottle with his bare hand. Levi's masculinity felt slightly threatened. "Annie is a bit shy herself."

"You said she was upset about starting this year?"

"Yeah," Erwin took a swig of his beer. "We lived two cities over, but I was moved for work."

"You work military?" Levi asked.

Erwin shook his head. "Just a boring desk job for the government."

"My friend Hanji is a social worker," he said. He was thankful for the lack of awkward pauses this time around. He took a tentative sip of his beer, trying not to scrunch his nose up at the offending liquid.

Erwin nodded. "My friend Mike does social work too."

Levi spoke too soon. They seemed to have exhausted all their dialogue options and were left looking away from each other. Levi drank slowly if only to give himself something to do.

"How long have you had Eren for?"

Levi tensed at the question. He looked at Erwin through hard eyes and debated the innocence of that question. This wouldn't be the first time someone's judged them; he could clearly see the way people stared when he and Eren went out.

Erwin must've sensed his suspicion, and quickly backtracked. "I mean, you don't look alike and you don't seem to have a wife. So I thought maybe he was adopted?"

Levi drank from his beer. "Foster care."

Erwin nodded. "Makes sense."

"What about you?" Levi asked. "Do you have a wife?"

He shook his head with a smile. "Annie's mother isn't very, how can I put it, family oriented."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Levi said quietly.

Erwin chuckled. "No, it's alright. She was a bitch."

Hearing Erwin-white-bread-Smith curse came as a surprise to Levi. Oddly enough, it also intrigued him. He killed that train of thought with another sip of shitty beer.

Erwin walked over to the counter Levi was resting his back on and leaned on his forearms. For a split second, he appreciated the way his biceps flexed with the movement. Though it really was less than a second, Erwin caught him looking anyway, and smirked. Levi rolled him eyes and looked the other direction.

"So we're both single dads," Erwin stated.

"So we are," Levi said back.

Erwin seemed content to leave it at that. He finished off the rest of his beer while Levi still had half of his own resting in his hand. Erwin reached over and plucked the sweaty bottle gingerly out his hands and chugged the rest of its contents. Levi watched the bob of his Adam's apple with interest and was briefly thankful to not have to drink that piss.

Erwin put the bottle down with a sigh. "Not much a drinker?"

"Clearly," Levi scoffed. "I could've had a life-threatening disease, you know."

Erwin stood straight and smiled at him. "I have a strong immune system."

To punctuate this, he thumped a fist on his puffed chest.

Levi raised a brow at him in amusement. "So manly."

Erwin thanked him humbly, to which Levi rolled his eyes again.

"We should go see if they've killed each other," Levi said. "I'm telling you, Eren's got spunk."

As they walked, Erwin said, "Annie's got technique though."

As they opened the door, the children were fighting. Eren swung an easily dodged right hook just before Annie kicked his feet right from under him, sending him falling backwards. Both adults were on them in an instant.

Levi grabbed Eren by the color and pulled him up as Erwin placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder and asked what happened. Levi was much less calm about the situation.

He shook Eren a bit, still holding onto his collar. "You little shit, I sent you here to make friends not to get your ass kicked!"

Eren reached behind him and attempted to scratch off Levi's grip. Easily, he shook him some more, his feet barely on the ground.

"I asked her to teach me how to fight," he defended. "We were _sparring_."

"What the fuck are you learning how to fight for?"

Eren grunted, and abandoned his scratching method for holding onto Levi's wrist and flailing his legs. "So that if anyone messes with me at school, I can beat their ass, duh!"

Levi bent down a bit as he raised Eren further off the ground to meet him at eye level. "If a hothead like you learned how to fight, I'd never stop getting calls. Is that what you want?"

"Can you let me _go_?" Eren continued flailing.

"Levi?"

" _What_?" He whipped his head to Erwin, who was holding back laughter. "What the fuck are you laughing for?"

Erwin walked over and lifted Eren out his hand before planting him back on the ground. Eren crossed his arms over his chest in some vague attempt at keeping his dignity in tact. Levi sighed and noticed Annie had a tiny smile on her face at the interaction.

"I don't mean to impose," he said. "But I think everyone should at least know how to defend themselves, don't you?"

Levi ignored him and addressed Eren. "We'll talk about this at home."

Eren slumped over with his upper lip pulled back. "Uh-huh."

Levi turned back to Erwin. "Thank you for the beer, but I need to waterboard my child real quick."

"I don't even know what that _is_ ," Eren mumbled.

"You will."

Erwin smiled at him again despite being fully ignored. "It was no problem."

As he and Eren walked off their yard, Levi nodded goodbye to Annie. She pretended not to notice.

*

Hanji and Moblit had finished building the bed frame, and Levi was thankful for them. It would have taken much longer if he had to do it alone. Between Levi and Hanji, they lifted the mattress out of the hallway and into the room. Eren peaked at them from behind the door frame, bouncing in place.

While Levi opened the packaging of the bedding, Hanji and Moblit joined in on bouncing from side to side. By the time Levi finished dressing the bed, it had become a competition to see who could bounce the fastest. Hanji told Levi to join in, to which he refused. Until all three of them started chanting at him while still bouncing, like some budget sacrificial ceremony.

Hesitantly, he joined in on bunching from one foot to the other, and they cheered. After a minute, he got pretty into it. He and Hanji were face to face in their battle to be the fastest until Hanji, ever the dirty player, began shoving him. Then Moblit and Eren bounced over and all four of them were shoving each other, all silently agreeing that the last one standing would be the winner. They all ganged up on Moblit, who was bigger than all of them, and pushed him flat on his ass.

"No fair!"

Hanji winked at him, holding Levi's arms in an attempt to push him while Eren bounced between them, shoving them with every bounce. "All's fair in love and war."

Levi let go of Hanji, and lifted a flailing Eren before tossing him on the bed.

"That doesn't count!" Eren yelled. He turned to Moblit. "Tell him that doesn't count!"

Moblit only shrugged helplessly. He took a seat next to him on the bed. He cheered for his wife, and Eren cheered for Levi.

Levi was starting to get tired of the bouncing, but Hanji didn't seem bothered at all. He was wary of the Cheshire grin she shot his way at the sight of his slightly ragged breathing. She pushed his hands away and tackled him onto the bed. The occupants on the bed flinched away to avoid being landed on.

"Winner!" Moblit announced.

Eren shook Levi's shoulders as he continued to be dead on the mattress. "What was that? You suck!"

Levi slung and arm around Eren's neck and pulled his head over his chest. He noogied him until he was sure his brains were good and scrambled before finally letting go. Eren continued to smack him despite being let free.

Hanji announced she wanted lunch, and they all sat around the living room watching Eren's cartoons with leftover takeout

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapters of no angst? that's crazy. expect this to change next chapter. next chapter will also be a little shorter but its ok hopefully


	8. Liar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im not entirely happy with the length of this chapter but hey whaddya gonna do :// i fully wrote this instead of sleeping but i cannot for the life of me think of anything to add

Over the next five weeks, they waited to be approved. The inspectors came over and did their thing, and it seemed to go well. They spoke briefly with Eren in his room and later asked Levi how he was faring with a child in his care. Naturally, he told them he was doing good and that he wanted someone Eren would be able to talk to around his age. Overall, the inspectors were only there for about an hour.

It was also nearing two months since Eren had been in his care. If they could make it past this month, he would have been the longest person to take care of him.

Lately, Eren has been more nervous. Levi didn't know whether to attribute this to being angsty for Mikasa's approval or if he knew that this would soon be the longest he ever stayed with someone. Levi suspected it was a mix of both, but the latter seemed to be more prominent. He didn't curse as much, didn't complain about vegetables, and was generally less bratty than usual. It was as if he was afraid Levi would suddenly change his mind and send him away.

Of course, that would never be the case. Levi tried to convey this regularly by complimenting him when he did something good and encouraging him when he didn't seem confident enough to do or say something.

Being friends with Annie seemed to help a bit as well. He allowed them to continue practicing defense with each other as long as Eren promised not to cause fights at school and only use it as a last resort. Being able to physically exert himself seemed to calm his nerves a bit.

He also got a bit closer with Erwin. They often had coffee together when the kids were in the yard. They learned things about each other, though Levi was much more conservative with what he chose to share. He knew that Erwin never planned on having kids and that Annie's mother had a tendency to lie about taking the pill a few too many times. He also learned that working for the city was about as exciting as watching paint dry. Erwin complained that office drama reminded him too much of high school and that he wished he could be paid to do nothing all day and sleep. Levi wholeheartedly agreed. In turn, Levi told him a few stories of the times he'd been called to take care of his friends after they'd gone drinking, and that those instances were the reason he knew of so many hangover cures despite not being a drinker himself. Levi wouldn't call them friends, but he had to admit he did enjoy having him around. Not to mention, Erwin looked like a big-browed Chris Evans, which was most definitely a plus.

*

The day before Mikasa was to join them, Eren was very clearly nervous. His jittery movements, the way he wrung his T-shirt in his hands when he sat, the way he bounced his leg and drummed his fingers on his thigh— it all made Levi more nervous than he already was as well. He tried to keep them both busy with cleaning or video games, but nothing seemed to calm him fully. He texted Erwin about having he and Annie come over (speaking with him would also serve as a distraction for Levi as well) but they were out of town for the day. He didn't want to bother Hanji, especially since she had already taken the time to come over only two days prior. Levi considered calling Petra and the gang, but Eren didn't know them and he wasn't comfortable forcing him to be around people he wasn't familiar with, even if Levi had known them for years.

That left him with no other option but to entertain Eren himself. Usually that wouldn't be a problem— he was easy enough to distract— but he didn't seem to be in much of a talkative mood that day. Levi was having a hard time balancing both their emotional states.

He offered to take him to Sonic, but Eren only shook his head and buried himself deeper in his blankets. It took him nagging Eren just to get him out of bed long enough to eat dinner. Levi was stumped. He thought he would be excited to meet Mikasa again, but he seemed so depressed. When Levi prodded, Eren lashed out and yelled at him. He let it slide, doubting that scolding him would do anything but agitate him further. He sighed and walked back to the living room. He sat there, trying to distract himself with reading or watching TV, but nothing helped. His phone buzzed next to him.

**Erwin** : hows eren feeling?

Levi wondered whether he should answer truthfully.

**You:** He won't get out of bed and he's not talking to me.

**Erwin** : have you tried sonic

**You** : He said no.

**Erwin** : oh shit that's bad

Levi snorted. Bad is an understatement. He reasoned that he's dealt with much worse in regards to Eren, but at this point, an outwardly aggressive Eren is much easier to deal with than an emotionally withdrawn Eren. For as long as Levi has known him, he wasn't a depressed person. He may have been nervous and sometimes overly hotheaded, but never depressed. This was new, and the lack of control that came with not knowing how to solve the problem scared him. He hadn't even realized he didn't answer until his phone buzzed in his hand.

**Erwin** : when annie is sad i usually just sit with her until she opens up. sometimes just having a physical reminder that they're not alone is a comfort

Levi was surprised. Erwin is in no way a professional texter, but seeing him speak so seriously was unexpected.

**Erwin** : idk if that will help tho ://

That was more like it.

**Levi** : That's a weirdly good idea coming from you.

**Erwin** : should i be offended or say thank you?

**Levi** : Who knows.

Levi tucked his phone into his pocket and stood up. When he walked into Eren's room, he was still in the same position he was in before. He didn't react when Levi sat next to him. Of course, Levi wouldn't have been able to tell much since only the top of his head was poking out of his blanket cocoon, exposing his messy hair. He sat there sort of staring at the boy for a long while, wondering if taking Erwin's advice was the best way to go. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his hands around his shins. Nervously, he swallowed and focused his attention on mentally counting to ten. He had to be calm to help Eren.

Eren shifted a few times, but never moved from his position facing away from Levi. He reached over hesitantly and stroked Eren's head, flattening his hair and hopefully conveying his thoughts. He hoped Eren knew how much he meant to him, how much his happiness meant to him. As he did this, he heard a sniffle and a hitched breath. Still, he said nothing and continued petting him. Eren cried quietly until it turned violent. Every tear Levi imagined rolling down his cheeks chipped away at his sanity, and his heart shattered within his chest when Eren began to sob out loud.

Levi shifted further down the bed and laid down next to Eren. He pulled him into his chest and buried his nose in his brown hair. He held his shaking body close as he sushed him and kissed the top of his head. Quietly, he promised it would be okay. He said this without being sure of what it even was that would be okay.

He said this mostly for Eren and partly for himself.

Eventually, he stilled. His breathing was heavy and was paired with slight tremors, but he wasn't sobbing loudly and he wasn't screaming. Levi, if such a thing were even possible, pulled him closer against his chest. Eren pulled his arms out from beneath the blankets and hugged Levi's arms. He was still shaking.

Levi held him longer, face still buried in his hair until Eren finally spoke.

"She hates me," he said weakly. Levi lifted himself and propped himself up on an elbow, one arm still around Eren's torso and holding onto his shoulder. "She hates me so much."

"Eren," he said. "What are you talking about?"

"Mikasa," the boy croaked. He curled into himself, clutching Levi's arm tightly. "She— I— I wasn't supposed to leave her."

Levi let out a breath. "You had no control over that."

"It doesn't matter!" Eren yelled. "I told her I wouldn't leave her! I told her we would fight! I—"

He broke off in another choked sob, and Levi leaned down and kissed his head.

"I'm such a fucking  _ liar _ —"

"Eren—"

"I hate myself so much! Why did _I_ have to get sent away?"

"Eren, you couldn't—"

The boy in question began crying loudly again, fresh tears streaming down his downturned face.

" _ She _ should have gotten out! I don't deserve to be here!"

Levi's resolve began to waver. "Eren,  _ please—" _

He buried his face in Levi's arm, sobs turning into helpless, wet yells.

"They were so bad to her, but she was always protecting me! I was so useless and she'd let herself get hit for me because I was always in trouble!"

Levi, despite himself, felt tears pooling his eyes. He hid his face in the boy's hair.

"I hate myself," Eren croaked. "I hate myself  _ so much _ ."

He continued on like this, voice hoarse, muttering about how he wished he wasn't the one who was supposed to get away until Levi just couldn't take any more. Eren stalled when he felt Levi's own chest began to hitch against him. He twisted around in an attempt to look at him, but Levi kept his face hidden. He gave Eren a squeeze.

"Levi?"

"You," Levi said almost inaudibly. "Are the best thing that could have ever happened to me."

Eren was silent, so Levi took that as a sign to keep going.

"I can't stand hearing you talk like that," he said, voice thick with emotion. "You couldn't have controlled what happened. How could you?"

Eren wept before whipping his head away and screaming out, "You don't know! You don't know what it's like!"

Levi tensed at this. Suddenly two names he long forgot popped up in the forefront of his mind. Two names he spent years mourning. Two names who haunted him until his brain forced him to nearly fully forget them. He felt his chest fall into itself, the added stress making him feel the same way he did all those years ago when…

He pushed that thought away. He pushed and pushed as Eren continued sobbing that he didn't understand him all the while Levi understood all too well how he felt.

Before Eren could say anything more, Levi spoke.

"I do," he practically whispered. "I do and I'm sorry."

Eren, either not hearing or not caring, continued to cry. His breaths were becoming audibly shaking, desperate gasps; it was like he was drowning. Levi struggled to speak again.

"You're disrespectful, you curse a lot, and your attitude is horrible," he sniffed. "You remind me so much of myself at your age. But you and I are different. Because you have me, and I want to dedicate myself to making sure you're living happily. And when Mikasa gets here, I'm going to do the same for her."

Eren sniffed and hid his face in Levi's arm again. Levi rested his forehead on the back of his head. 

"You're my son," he whispered. "I love you."

Eren twisted and Levi lifted his arm a bit. He flipped over to face Levi and nuzzled into his chest with a whimper. Levi placed his arm around him again and rubbed his back comfortingly. He himself had only shed a few tears, but he suddenly felt exhausted beyond belief. Eren's breathing slowly became more even and less shaky, so that was a good thing. The only noise between them was sniffling and slow breathing. Eventually, they had fallen asleep without either of them realizing.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is this development i smell? unheard of. hope u liked this!!


	9. Enter: Mikasa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mikasa is finally here :D everyone clap for her

* * *

Very few things made Levi nervous. He was weary of many people and situations, but never enough to be nervous or frightened. Not that he was frightened right now, no. He was actually relatively calm sitting on his couch in his nicest dress pants and button down shirt awaiting the arrival of the foster child he’d been preparing for over the course of the last few weeks.

Eren was there as well. He was most definitely freaking out, sitting next to Levi while bouncing in place and muttering that this was a mistake and that he should run away to Portland. Levi glanced at him and sighed. It seemed his initial anxiety regarding Mikasa's feelings toward him hadn't left. He held his palm out, and Eren took it without hesitation. He began shaking his hand up and down nervously, looking downright ready to die.

Levi leaned forward to catch Eren's eyes.

"It's going to be fine," he assured. "She doesn't hate you. But it has been a while, and I'm sure she's nervous enough as it is, so let's try our best to make her comfortable."

Eren didn't answer, instead looking back down at his socked feet. Levi gave his hand a light squeeze before opening it back up.

"Okay?"

Eren sighed before nodding. Levi left it at that and let him continue shaking his hand until he felt better.

They waited for about an hour more. Admittedly, Levi had them get ready much earlier than they needed to, much like he did with Eren. Except this time, his nerves were much calmer than before. He thought back on those short months ago, how he was so confused and scared shitless of taking care of another person. He was so hesitant and unsure of everything he said and did— so _new_ to it all. He was afraid to scold Eren, not wanting to be resented. He was also afraid to encourage him too much, worried that it would come off as overbearing and weird.

Now look at him. He's awaiting a second child, sitting mostly calmly on his couch and comforting his first child. Despite himself, his lips quirked up. He's happy with his growth.

Eren has grown a lot too. He went from timid and quiet, to aggressive and scared, to the little shit he is now. He's not afraid to ask for things anymore. In fact, he's a little too willing to beg for things like games and comic books. He doesn't flinch away from touch, and seems to welcome it more openly. He doesn't look at Hanji as an enemy to take him away, rather as a really annoying friend. The change made Levi's chest swell with pride knowing that he had a part in that. He was able to help Eren out his shell, coaxed with fast food and comforting touches.

And he was ready to repeat this. He was ready for shyness, aggression, even physical violence if that was Mikasa's response to what she's been through. He'd take it all with open arms and help her out of her shell too. He realized that, without even meeting her yet, he wanted to keep Mikasa safe and happy just as much as Eren. He told him of the times they'd steal food for each other when one of them was on punishment and how he helped her when Dok was going too far with the lashings, instead taking them for her. That, he said, was how they first met. He spoke of so quietly, almost shamefully, that Levi felt an overwhelming need to kill a man he's never met before.

As he reasoned with himself that Nile Dok had already been arrested, and that killing him would only result in getting the kids taken away, the doorbell rang. Eren looked just about ready to shit himself.

Levi stood and got an idea. "Eren, go to your room while I talk with Mikasa."

Eren, all too eager to escape the situation, nodded and took off. The doorbell rang again and Levi sucked his teeth. Impatient fuck.

He put on his best "I Don't Hate People At All" smile, something he hadn't bothered to do when Hanji brought Eren, and opened the door. The man at the door smiled back and Levi looked down to his left and saw Mikasa. He didn't get a good look though, as she was pulled in by the arm by the social worker, face downcast. The man let himself in and Levi felt his eyebrow twitch as he didn't bother taking his shoes off. Still, he struggled to keep his stupid smile on his face. Stopping in front of the entrance, he and the man shook hands. He handed him the file in his hand, told Mikasa to behave herself, and left.

"Asshole," Levi muttered after him. Then he turned to Mikasa.

She wore a flowy gray dress and brown flats. Her hair was a bit messy and went down to her mid back. She held her trash bag close to her chest and Levi noticed she was also holding a maroon muffler. An odd choice for the summer, but he dismissed it. He crouched down so she could see him from below. She glanced at him and tensed, holding tighter onto the things in her hand.

"I'm Levi," he said gently. "It's very nice to meet you."

Mikasa didn't respond, only stealing quick glances his way.

"Do you mind putting your shoes on the rack for me?"

That got him a nod. She shuffled past him and as she toed her shoes off in the entrance, he straightened himself out. When she was back in front of him, he offered her a small smile, though she didn't see it. He told her to follow him, and just like he did with Eren, showed her around the house, purposely leaving out Eren's room. He let her set her things down on her bed, but she still held tightly to her muffler. She turned to him slowly, shoulders squared.

"I'd like you to meet someone," he said, and held out a hand for her to take. She didn't take it, but allowed herself to be led to Eren's room. He knocked on the door to let him know they were there and opened it.

Eren was on the edge of his bed, hugging his knees. He turned around, and Mikasa had an unreadable expression on her face. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open slightly, but other than that, he couldn't tell how she felt. Levi became a bit nervous and glanced at Eren's wide-eyed, nervous expression. Then Mikasa took a small step forward. Eren tensed as she walked slowly up to him. When she made it to his side of the bed, she hesitantly poked his chest, and gasped. Was she checking if he was real? Tears welled in her eyes as she suddenly flung herself onto Eren.

Levi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and watched as Mikasa sobbed into Eren's shoulder. He began crying as well, apologizing over and over as he held her. Finally, Mikasa spoke.

"You left," she sobbed, almost indecipherably. She pushed her face into his shoulder. "You said you wouldn't leave!"

Levi couldn't see his face since they both had their backs to him, but he could imagine how he looked.

"I know," he said weakly. "I'm sorry, Mika."

Levi felt he was intruding, which he kind of was, so he decided to let them be alone for a bit. He left the door open a crack and walked back into the living room. He was relieved it seemed to go well. There were messages congratulating him and wishing him good luck in the groupchat and from Hanji and Moblit. He thumbed through them, thanking everyone. Then he noticed a message from Erwin.

 **Erwin** : is that mikasa?? shes so cute :D

 **You** : Did you sit by your window waiting for her, creep?

 **Erwin** : i was just really excited for you

 **Erwin** : how is everything?

 **You** : She's crying right now.

 **Erwin** : um you should probably deal with that maybe?

 **You** : No, it's fine. I'll tell you about it in person later.

 **Erwin** : ok :)

Levi dropped his phone next to him and thought about Mikasa. She was pretty and timid, and despite her clear apprehension of her new environment, he hoped Eren's presence would help her.

*

Levi must've fallen asleep on the couch because he woke to the sound of the TV playing. He yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eye as he stretched out his legs. Falling asleep while sitting has never not left all kinds of pain in his back. He glanced next to him and saw the kids taking up the other two cushions next to him, with Eren in the middle. Eren himself was focused on the TV, but Mikasa seemed to be peeking at Levi over his shoulder. Her face remained unchanged. Eren noticed him and smiled.

"Finally," he said. "We're starving."

"I'm sorry," Levi said. "Why didn't you wake me?"

Eren shrugged. Levi got up and stretched, his back giving a few satisfying pops. He turned to the kids. Mikasa's mouth and nose were covered by the muffler in her hands, and she continued staring at him cautiously.

"Is there anything you want to eat?"

"Let's order pizza!"

"Eren," Levi said. "Maybe we should let Mikasa pick."

Eren slumped back on the couch. "Okay."

They both looked at Mikasa, who tensed slightly. She looked between Levi and Eren for some time before speaking, voice small.

"Pizza."

"Yes!" Eren pumped a fist.

Levi nodded. He walked to the kitchen and pushed around through a drawer where he kept a few take-out menus, including one from a local pizza place Auruo told him about. He called and ordered a large cheese.

He walked back to the living room and noticed Mikasa was still watching him carefully. It didn't bother him and he definitely wasn't intimidated, but it put him on edge. Her eyes were cold, as if ready to attack or defend at the drop of a hat. It was a stark difference from the faux confidence Eren showed when he first arrived. He sat back down next to Eren, assuring himself that she'll calm down around him eventually.

During this time, Eren did most of the talking. He engaged Levi and Mikasa separately, as trying to get them to talk to each other was futile on Mikasa's end. Even when he spoke to her directly without involving Levi, she was fairly tight lipped— only offering nods and quiet hums in response to his excited comments and predictions regarding the show they were watching. Levi attributed this to the possibility that his presence made her too uncomfortable to speak openly to her friend, so he pushed himself off the couch and announced he would be taking a dump.

Eren rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out whole Mikasa looked a bit surprised and a little disgusted. Levi stuck a tongue back out at both of them and headed to his room. He did not, in fact, take a dump. Instead, he laid stomach-first on his bed and scrolled through his admittedly sparse messages. For a moment, he considered actually joining some sort of social media platform his friends have been demanding he download just to have something to do. Maybe he should go back and read through Mikasa's file, but it was currently sitting on the dining room table, so that meant passing the kids and making things awkward again. He could text Erwin but he also isn't in much of a people mood right now. He rolled onto his back and sighed.

Laying there doing nothing made him feel uneasy. He felt an itch to get up and clean something, to scrub at the already clean bathroom, to organize the bookshelves in Mikasa's room, or even to dirty a few dishes with the intent to wash them. He sighed and closed his eyes. He knew that if he started cleaning something small now, he wouldn't stop. Most people don't know that he doesn't have much self restraint. The only time he can seem to control his own impulses is when he's around people he knows won't do the same for themselves. Hanji is a prime example, but thinking deeper into it, most of his friends tend to act without thinking awfully hard about the consequences. Maybe that was his unconscious way of forcing himself to think more like an adult rather than a teenager. The idea that he hadn't developed emotionally enough to make decisions like the thirty-four year old man he is depressed him.

This is exactly why Levi needed something to distract him. He got up and walked over to the nightstand next to his bed and rummaged through the drawer. He grabbed the box of cigarettes he kept stashed at the bottom and headed out his room. Halfway into his trip through the hall, he realized he'd have to pass the kids anyway. He stopped, considered the box in his hand, before continuing. He shoved it in his back pocket and walked past the living room to the entrance. Eren didn't seem to notice him, but Mikasa snapped to attention at the sight of him. She watched him all the way through the door. Once on the porch, he vaguely thought to himself that wasn't so bad and that he's a huge baby.

He sat on the plastic chair on the rightmost side of the porch and pulled out a cigarette. Then, he dumbly realized he never grabbed a lighter. Frustration hit him like a wave and he had the urge to scream. Accompanying this wave was a separate ocean of exhaustion as he sighed deeply, unable to vent his irritation, and sunk lower in his seat. It all seemed to come out of nowhere, though he did tend to be a bit touchy when he was feeling down. The cigarette was still in his mouth but he figured this was as good as it would get for him, so he chewed on the butt for a few seconds before hearing a sharp whistle to his right. He snapped up in an instant, looking for the source. Erwin waved at him, leaning on the fence with his hands, a smile on his face. Levi sighed in what felt suspiciously like relief, although the frustration was still there. He most definitely was still not in the mood for people.

At his lack of an actual response outside of just glaring at him, Erwin's smile dropped. He cocked his head to the side and asked Levi if he was okay. Levi chewed a bit more at his cigarette and continued giving him a deadpan look. Erwin, unrelenting, walked around the fence and made his way up the lawn. Levi sighed again, momentary relief replaced with an anti-social snarl, and sunk again in his seat. Erwin walked to the leftmost side of the porch and pulled the empty chair up next to Levi's before taking a seat like he fucking lived there.

"You look like someone's run you over," Erwin said simply.

Levi snorted without answering.

Erwin's eyes flitted to his lips. He looked back up with a smirk. "Need a light?"

Levi rolled his eyes and ignored him. He didn't know why he was acting like a child, and he wished more than anything he would just stop. But, of course, wishing for something while not taking action is about as useful as dog shit. Erwin rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a lighter. Levi softened a bit as he flicked it on and held it in his direction, then leaned over and held the end of the cigarette up to the flame with it still in his mouth. He sat back, taking a deep drag. He craned his neck up and let it out slowly through his nose. His unexplainable irritation slowly dissipated, instead leaving a hollow sadness in its wake. Still, he supposed he should make conversation. He turned his head, still slumped in his chair, and regarded Erwin.

"You smoke?" He took another drag and pulled it out of his mouth, holding it between his middle and index fingers.

Erwin shook his head. "I try not to. I only really do it when I'm drunk. Oh, but Annie likes lighting incense so I keep a light with me."

"Ah," Levi said. He brought the cigarette up to his mouth and inhaled slowly. As he returned his gaze to the street, not knowing what else to say.

His companion didn't seem to mind the silence, so he continued sitting without trying to make conversation again. The sun was setting, basking everything is a warm hue as pink and orange clouds colored the sky. A light breeze blew past them lazily and he thought it was rather atmospheric as he finished his cigarette and put it out on the bottom of his seat. He flicked it off to the side, and without giving it any thought, he grabbed the box that had previously remained sitting on his thigh. As he made to grab another, Erwin placed a hand over his own and lowered it.

"One," he said.

Levi scoffed and pushed his hand away. He pulled another out. "I'm fine, _Dad_."

He put it to his mouth and leaned in Erwin's direction again, waiting for a light. But he didn't pull back out the lighter, only giving him a calm yet stern look. Levi glared at him and gave him a once-over, successfully conveying his thought of _'who the fuck are you?'_

Erwin only plucked it out his mouth and held it up to his own, pulling out the lighter and flicking it on. He took a drag, turned his head to a wide-eyed Levi, and blew the smoke out into his face with a self-satisfied smirk. Levi recovered quickly and turned away, crossing his arms over his chest. Erwin lowered the cigarette.

"What's wrong?" Erwin said, joining Levi in watching the empty street.

"Nothing at all," he said curtly.

"Yes," Erwin took another slow drag and let it out. "That's why I found you on your porch sulking with an unlit cigarette in your mouth."

"Tch," he cocked his head to the side, resting his head on his right shoulder.

Erwin flicked some ash off the end of the cigarette. "What if I told you Camels are disgusting and I'll let you have the rest if you tell me what's up?"

Levi shifted uncomfortably, lifting his head from his shoulder. He glanced up at Erwin and saw he was still looking ahead. He too looked back to the street. A car passed by.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Levi said quietly. He sounded uncharacteristically unconfident to even his own ears. "That scares me."

Erwin nodded next to him and handed him the cigarette. Levi took it and considered it. The thought of it having seen another mouth grossed him out, but he wasn't about to let it go to waste. As he inhaled, he recovered from his brief moment of weakness.

"Don't you have a daughter who needs your attention?" Levi asked. Erwin groaned and let his head fall onto the wall behind him, shutting his eyes.

"She's talking to a boy," he whined. He opened an eye and looked at Levi, who snorted. "She doesn't want her old man _cramping her style_."

Levi snorted again and finished off the cigarette. "I'm no expert in today's slang but I promise you no one says that anymore."

Erwin smiled. "Well, we should bring it back."

Levi put it out in the same fashion he did the last. "Good luck with that."

A car pulled into Levi's driveway. A pimply-faced kid clambered out of the car and walked around to grab the pizza. Levi made to stand up, but Erwin held up a hand to halt him. Confused, he watched as Erwin met the kid halfway and pulled out his wallet. Levi, though feeling better, was still too tired to stop him. The two on the driveway parted ways and Erwin returned to the porch, pizza in hand.

"You shouldn't have done that," Levi mumbled.

"It's fine, just hold this." He placed the pizza box on Levi's lap before opening it and taking a slice. "This will be my payment. Also for the light."

Levi rolled his eyes, grabbed the box, and stood. Erwin took a bite.

"I should probably go then," he said. Levi nodded. "See you around."

As he made his way off the porch, Levi turned to the door. Before he could bring himself to open it, something didn't sit right with him. He turned back around.

"Erwin," he called. The man in question, now halfway down the driveway, turned. "Thank you."

Erwin answered with a bright, wide smile. Mouth full of pizza, he held his slice up in a sort of welcome before turning around and making his way off Levi's property. Something constricted in Levi's chest, different from before. It was warm though, so he couldn't complain. He walked into the house and called for the kids to come eat, not noticing the light blush on his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> levi is a stress smoker you can pry that idea out my cold dead hands. also this chapter feels so awkward to me and i have no idea why


	10. Write

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bit shorter than what i wanted this to be but i was majorly stumped in the motivation department

Levi read through Mikasa's file while they slept that night. There weren't very many reports on her from previous homes, with the few there describing her as timid and mostly well behaved. The police report stated that Mikasa's parents were both killed on the same night by two men while they were out on a date. The two men who attacked them were originally planning on only killing the husband and kidnapping the wife, but they were both killed when Mikasa's mother had taken one of them by surprise, grabbing his knife and using it to attack the other. Both bodies were found in an alley a few hours later, and both men were detained the next morning after security cameras caught one of them buying bandages and rubbing alcohol at a nearby drug store. They had targeted Mikasa's mother because apparently there was a rise in demand for Asian women within the underground markets and they had been sent out to find "merchandise," a comment that left Levi with a sick feeling in his stomach. Mikasa had been with a sitter at the time, only eight years old. They lived in a relatively rural area and with no living family to speak of, she was put in the system. She bounced around from home to home for a few months before eventually ending up in the Dok residence, where she'd stayed up until this point. That meant she would have been in Nile Dok's care for four years— four years of maltreatment and neglect.

When investigators were sent to investigate Dok, they found clear signs of abuse in the home. Two other children had been in his care along with Mikasa, and none of them had been fed for at least two days. They all shared one room and a queen sized bed and were kept in dirty conditions. The report spared him of any pictures, but the mental images that came with reading that were enough to get his blood boiling.

*

Over the next few days, Levi would come to realize that Mikasa was very different from Eren. She was closed off and unwilling to speak, and often refused to eat. She didn't push boundaries the same way Eren did, but she also didn't do much of anything at all. She kept close to Eren and spoke quietly to him when Levi wasn't around, but remained relatively tight-lipped. She often watched him quietly when he walked around and almost never answered him when he spoke to her.

Levi wasn't sure what to do. He tried the fast-food trick on her, but all that got him was a blank stare. In fact, the only real reaction he'd gotten from her was when she shoved him away and ran to her room when he reached around her for some salt in the kitchen while she was getting water. She was much stronger than what her skinny frame led on.

Eren also did his best to calm Mikasa down. He wasn't nearly as loud as usual, and often held her hand when they walked together through the house. Unlike when Eren was first adjusting, she had no problem maintaining eye contact. It was as if she expected to have to fight him at the drop of a hat. This worried Levi. Sure, it'd only been a week since she'd been with them but between now and the first say she arrived, there seemed to be no difference at all.

Since her first day, she refused to show much emotion. She didn't cry (at least not after her initial reaction to seeing Eren) or get angry, and even when Eren said something funny, she would bite back her small smiles. Levi had attempted to make conversation with her, asking if there was anywhere she wanted to go or anything she wanted to do, but he was only met with a wall. She was the polar opposite of Eren. He was all fire and passion, she was dry and cold as ice.

Eren had also been feeling stressed with everything. He often bobbed his legs up and down and seemed generally weighed down. Levi doesn't blame Mikasa, but they're both having a hard time with the change. He thought if he'd give it time, things would work themselves out. Granted, five days wasn't much time but Levi was a real impatient fucker when he wanted to be.

Eventually, Levi decided to take a less subtle approach. He called them out of Mikasa's room, where Eren was attempting to teach her how to do a handstand, and into the living room. He stood in front of them where they sat on the couch and regarded them both. Eren seemed annoyed to have his lesson interrupted and Mikasa's mouth and nose were covered by the maroon scarf wrapped around her neck.

In his hands, Levi held two notepads and a pack of colorful Sharpies.

"We," he said. "Are going to write our feelings."

Eren lifted a brow. "We're gonna what?"

Levi nodded. "Write our feelings."

He looked at Mikasa and though he could only see half of her face, he could tell she was confused too by the way her eyes flitted between his face and the items in his hands. He ripped a piece of paper out for himself and placed it on the small table next to the couch before handing them both notepads and placing the pack of markers between them.

"We are all going to write down how we feel," he said matter-of-factly. "And then we're going to share them with each other. We don't have to talk about it out loud if you don't want to, and we can write down responses, but everyone needs to read them."

Eren raised his hand like he was in class. "Okay, but why?"

Levi sighed. "I'm going to be honest— I'm worried for you brats. I want you both to feel comfortable here, so we're going to try this and see if it helps."

Mikasa glanced at Eren who shrugged and picked out a green marker. Levi looked at her expectantly, hoping she would be willing to try this, and let out a relieved sigh when she hesitantly picked out a red marker.

"So then," Eren studied his notepad. "What do we write?"

"Anything," Levi said. He grabbed the paper from the table next to Eren and sat cross legged in front of both of them on the floor. "How you feel right now, how you've been feeling generally, what you want for dinner— anything you want."

This was an idea Hanji thought of. She came up with it relatively fast after he told her about his worries regarding Mikasa's adjustment. Secretly, he wasn't expecting much but he really didn't have any better ideas and this one didn't seem too bad.

Eren shrugged to himself as he uncapped his marker and began to write. Levi did the same and though he wasn't good at sharing his emotions, he could make this sacrifice for the kids. After a few minutes, Levi noticed Mikasa hadn't moved. She sat there staring at the notepad in her lap and held the marker in her hand. Levi scooted from his spot on the floor a little closer to her.

"Don't know what to write?" He spoke quietly, and she nodded. "Put down the first thing you think of. It doesn't even have to be how you feel, just what you're thinking."

She nodded again and slowly uncapped her marker. Levi returned to his own paper and continued writing, with a bit of difficulty, his own thoughts. Eren exclaimed that he was done. Mikasa also capped her marker and set it on her lap at the base of the notepad, so Levi took it as a sign that she had finished as well.

"Okay," he said. "Pass the notes around, and other people can respond to some of the things you write."

He held out his paper to Mikasa who passed hers to Eren. He gave his to Levi.

Eren's notepad consisted of messy bullet points and a few poorly done drawings to emphasize his point.

  * ****I want Mikasa to feel happy****


  * **I think I make things worse for her**


  * **I'm scared to be sent away**


  * **I really want a phone**


  * **I want Mikasa to meet Annie but I don’t know how they’ll get along**


  * **I want beef for dinner >:D**



Levi huffed amusedly at that last line. Everything written on here was more or less what he was expecting from Eren. Next to the lines, he wrote that he too wanted Mikasa to be comfortable with them, reminded Eren that he wouldn’t be sent away, that he can have a phone when school starts, and that Mikasa should meet Annie when she’s ready. The kids seemed to be done writing their own responses, so he held out Eren’s notepad to Mikasa. They all repeated this. Now Levi held Mikasa’s paper, including Eren’s responses.

  * __I don't know how I feel__


  * **Does anyone really know how they feel?**


  * _I don’t want to start school next month_


  * **Let's play hooky!!**


  * _I’m a little hungry but the snacks here are no good_


  * **Yeah Levi only eats healthy stuff**



That was it for Mikasa. Small as the list was, Levi saw it as a win. He wrote under Eren’s notes that not knowing how to feel is okay and that they’re both there for her when she’s ready, and that if he ever catches either of them skipping class, he will have their hides. Halfway through promising junk food in exchange for them helping with the yard, Mikasa spoke.

She held Eren’s notepad tightly with tense fingers before saying quietly, “Who’s Annie?”

Eren, looked up from reading Levi’s paper. “She’s the girl next door. She’s been teaching me how to fight!”

Mikasa’s eyes went downcast. “You must be close.”

Eren didn’t seem to understand her sudden sadness. Levi watched them, allowing Eren to figure out for himself what was bothering her. He pressed her, assuring her that he already promised not to pick fights and asking why she wouldn’t look at him. Levi reached over and patted his knee, and looked back to Mikasa.

“Are you afraid she’s replaced you?” He asked quietly. As soon as the words left his mouth, she looked away and stared out the window.

Eren shook her arm. “That’s crazy, why would she replace you?”

Mikasa turned her head again to speak to Eren, although her eyes remained trained on the hand holding her arm. She seemed to struggle to speak, opening and closing her mouth before ultimately giving up. Levi got an idea.

He flipped to the next page in the notepad and held it out for Mikasa. “Write.”

She considered it before slowly reaching out and grabbing it. Eren let his hand fall from her arm, instead tucking both his hands under his thighs nervously. She uncapped her marker and scribbled out a few sentences. She handed it to Eren, who already was uncapping his own marker and waited as he responded messily. Levi didn’t know what they were saying since he was still sitting cross-legged in front of them, so he rested his chin on his hand and watched them. They went on for another two minutes before Mikasa sighed and nodded. She flipped back to the previous page and handed it back to Levi.

“I won’t read it if you don’t want me to,” Levi said. Mikasa shrugged but Eren shook his head, so he continued his previously interrupted response about the junk food.

They all passed the notepads and paper back around and read the rest of the responses.

  * **_**_I hope you both can be comfortable with me, even if we haven’t known each other for long_**_**


  * **We should take Mikasa to take pictures!!!!!!**


  * **_You can both come to me with any problems you have, no matter how small_**


  * **_I want Mikasa to know that I care about her happiness just as much as Eren’s_**


  * **I care about you too, Mika!**


  * _Thank you_


  * **_This floor is insanely uncomfortable_**


  * **Haha theres no room on the couch for boomers**


  * _No room_



Levi smirked at the last responses. Though Mikasa’s comments were sparse, he was happy she replied anyway. He looked up at them. Eren was attempting to not-so-sneakily peek at Levi’s responses for Mikasa, but she pushed his face away and held the notepad to her chest. Levi found Eren's smushed face amusing, but interrupted them by asking if there was anything they wanted to say out loud. Eren shook his head and Mikasa glanced up from her lap before looking back down, a stark contrast from the hard glares she'd been giving him this past week.

“Can I meet Annie?” She said timidly.

“I’m friends with her dad,” Levi said. “I could call him now if you want.”

Mikasa shook her head. “Not now.”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Eren nodded. “You would like her, I think! She’s kinda quiet but she’s a good fighter and her dad has chips.”

“Eren, only one of those qualities actually have to do with her,” he said.

“Oh.”

“I,” Mikasa said quietly. “I’m not good with people.”

Eren crossed his arms contemplatively. “To be honest, neither is she. But I think it’ll be fine.”

That seemed to calm Mikasa enough for her to drop the subject.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh i had half a mind just to add pictures of the papers & what they said rather than writing it in text solely because ao3's bullet format isnt what i wished it was & you better believe that if i could, the writing would be with different fonts as well


	11. Write pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had a real good chapter title in my head last night when i finished writing this but i forgot it. story of my life

> After that day, Mikasa was a little more open. She still only barely spoke to Levi, but didn't seem so ready to pounce at him any time he made a sudden movement. She also spoke to Eren more openly, though that also wasn't by very much. Eren himself didn't seem bothered at all by her sparseness for words. In fact, he seemed elated that she was speaking more to him. Levi considered the probability that she just naturally wasn't much of a talker.

She and Eren worked well together, he noticed. She reminded him to eat all his vegetables and he often prompted her to speak her mind whenever he suspected she was holding something back. Mikasa didn't smile much, but she seemed to soften whenever Eren did something silly or talked excitedly about his interests.

Levi decided he very much liked having Mikasa around. Not to say that he ever _disliked_ her presence before; he just appreciated the way she adds to the dynamic of the household. She was feminine and strong, and Levi liked the way she mellowed Eren. She was a generally calming presence, though others might find her intimidating.

Speaking of intimidating, he wondered how she would get along with Annie. Naturally, he hoped they'd like each other. This was for both Eren and his own sake. Annie and Erwin were both good for them socially, and he wasn't entirely sure what he would do if Mikasa ended up not liking them. She had asked to meet her today, to which Eren already agreed happily despite Levi not getting the chance to say anything edgewise. He'd texted Erwin that morning, asking if he and Annie were up for meeting Mikasa. Erwin answered that Annie had been asking about her and that he was excited to meet her as well.

Eren was sitting on the entrance step next to Mikasa as he tied his shoes and excitedly told her about some of the moves Annie taught her. She already had her flats on and nodded along, waiting for him to finish. Levi stepped around them to toe on his own shoes and held the door open for then once they stood. Eren jumped off from the porch over the steps as Mikasa and Levi used the stairs like a normal person. Annie and Erwin were both already out, with the former sitting in the grass with a 3DS and the latter on the porch with his phone. When Erwin noticed the three of them walking up the lawn, he stood and went to meet them halfway. He got Annie's attention with a pat on the head and she looked up before following him.

"Levi!" He said pleasantly.

"Erwin," he answered, probably not as pleasantly as he meant to.

He turned his attention to Mikasa, who visibly struggled not to shrink away.

"Hi," he said quietly. "I'm Erwin."

He held out a hand for her to shake. She glanced nervously at Levi, who gave her an encouraging nod, before taking his hand and shaking it gingerly.

"I'm Mikasa," she mumbled.

"This is Annie," he motioned to the girl next to him.

Annie waved. Mikasa nodded, and that was it for introductions.

"We'll be over there," Levi said, nodding to the porch.

"Okay," Eren said. Levi patted both their heads before walking away.

Erwin followed him up to the porch. He sat on the top step and Levi hesitated, not wanting to touch the ground. Instead, he walked up the steps and leaned on the railing. The kids were sitting on the lawn with both girls on either side of Eren, watching him play whatever game Annie had been working on before they arrived.

"Drink?" Erwin asked, craning his neck to look at Levi.

He shook his head. "I'm good."

"She seems sweet," he said. "Have you all gotten along?"

Levi hummed. "Eren is calmer around her. She doesn't talk much though."

"Maybe she's just not a talker?"

"That's what I was thinking," Levi said.

"At least you're all doing well it seems."

"How have _you_ been?" Levi asked. He cocked his head to the side and rested it on his shoulder. "I'm sick of talking about myself."

Erwin shrugged. "My life is boring."

Levi dropped into a crouching position and held onto the railing, leaning back on it to look at Erwin. "Try me."

Erwin spoke a bit about how everyone in his office are a bunch of wet blankets and that the only interesting thing that's happened at work since he'd been there was a secretary's mysterious pregnancy. Apparently there had been a rumor that she was sleeping around with a few people in the building, but Erwin didn't like getting involved with things like that. He said he didn't really like his job but didn't want to quit because the benefits were good. He also said he was grateful to have a job that didn't exhaust him to the point of not being able to spend time with his daughter.

Levi was about to mention that he sympathized with that last statement, but stopped himself when Erwin said he could also go without some of the women at work flirting with him.

"Oh," Levi shifted a bit in his position. "What's that like?"

"Annoying at best, embarrassing at worst," he sighed.

"There's not any that you like?" Levi prodded.

Erwin shook his head. He seemed uncharacteristically shy.

"None of them are my type," he said.

Levi leaned back further to see Erwin's face, but he was looking straight ahead.

"What's your type then?"

He seemed to consider this before turning around and looking Levi in the eye.

"Men."

Levi's eyebrows shot upwards. Though, his idea of _shot upwards_ is more of a surprised twitch, but still. He also felt his face warm up a bit, which was also confusing. He _also_ realized he hadn't said anything and Erwin's unwavering gaze had turned away from his stupidly shocked face.

"Oh," he said. He got up and crouched next to Erwin on the top step, still not wanting to touch the floor. "I assumed since, you know."

"Most people would," he shrugged. "It was a phase, I suppose is the word."

Levi looked back to the kids. Eren was doing a handstand while Mikasa held his legs. Annie was pelting him with little twigs as he made his way towards her. He called for them to be careful, and Eren blew a raspberry at him.

"Little shit."

Erwin chuckled. "And you?"

Levi turned back to him. "And me?"

"What's your type?"

Levi looked away. "Both, I guess. I never really thought about it."

Erwin hummed and laid on his back, using his entwined hands as a pillow. "Maybe us becoming friends is fate."

"I don't think meeting someone with the same interests is fate," Levi said.

Erwin shrugged and closed his eyes. Levi appreciated the way his shirt rode up on him when he stretched, exposing a patch of hair leading into his shorts. Mentally, he sternly told himself to stop being creepy but he let his eyes roam up to his biceps. When the hell does he have time to work out? Then he noticed Erwin had one eye cracked open with a smirk. Levi, in a very adult fashion, looked away and pretended he didn't see it. He could hear Erwin's breathy chuckle behind him.

He rested his chin on his hand. "I like tall people too."

He said it quietly, but Erwin still heard him. He sat back up and smiled at Levi.

"I'm tall," he said matter-of-factly.

"So you are."

"Though," he brought a hand up to Levi's head and measured the way it lined up with his neck. "Most people might be your type."

Levi shoved him away. "Die."

Eren was chasing Annie around the yard, trying to snatch her phone out her hand while Mikasa sat off to the side with the 3DS under a tree. Annie sidestepped Eren and tripped him.

"Annie," Erwin called. "Be nice!"

Her shoulders drooped as she walked over to Eren and helped him up. She handed him the phone and he tapped away it.

Erwin scooted a bit closer and leaned down to whisper to Levi, "Hey, so school is in a month."

Levi leaned in a bit as well. "And?"

"Have you registered them?" Erwin asked.

He shook his head. "Not yet. I'm probably going to do that next week."

"Would you want to go together? I haven't registered Annie either," he smiled. "We could, you know, carpool. Protect the environment and all that."

The way he said it sounded a bit nervous. Levi couldn't fathom why, but he nodded nonetheless.

"I'm sure the ozone layer will be very grateful," he said.

Erwin chuckled. "Well, it better."

The conversation ended and they were left watching the kids again. He's grateful Mikasa and Annie seem to be getting along. He was worried that since neither of them were very social by nature, they would clash. But Annie was pointing at something on the screen and speaking to her while Eren watched over Mikasa's shoulder.

After some time, everyone went inside. Levi and Erwin sat together on the couch while the kids were in Annie's room. Erwin handed Levi a beer despite knowing he's more than likely to end up finishing it for him.

They watched TV for a while. Erwin admitted that reality television was his guilty pleasure and that Annie has told him many times he must've been born a bored housewife in another life. They watched reruns of Flavors Of Love and Levi commented that he doesn't understand why the show was so popular. Erwin only shrugged with a smile and said that he found turning off his brain and watching something dumb was therapeutic. Levi didn't fully understand, but decided to try turning his brain off as well. Needless to say, he still didn't get it.

"Would you prefer wine?" Erwin asked, nodding to the nearly full bottle of Heineken in his hand.

"Alcohol tastes like shit no matter what," Levi said.

"That's a little surprising," Erwin mused. "You seem like the type to love a glass of whiskey."

Levi shook his head. "I don't exactly hold my liquor well."

Erwin lifted a brow and half turned to Levi. "Oh?"

"Oh, what?"

Erwin smirked. "What kind of drunk are you?"

"That doesn't matter," he took a sip of beer for good measure. Yup, still tastes like piss.

"How about I guess and you tell me if I'm hot or cold?" Now he was almost fully facing Levi, trashy TV show forgotten, with a leg folded up on the couch.

"What if I lied?" Levi crossed his arms.

"I know you won't," he said easily.

"Blind faith," he mumbled.

Erwin ignored him. "Sad drunk?"

Levi thought for a moment. "Cold."

"Sleepy drunk?"

"Cold."

"Happy drunk?"

"Warm."

Erwin perked up. He seemed to really be thinking about this.

"Are you a mix?"

Levi smirked at him. "Warmer."

"Yes! Okay, okay— dancing drunk?"

"That's one of them."

Erwin placed a hand on his chest dramatically. "I can't see that."

Levi nodded. "Hopefully you never will."

"I have to get you drunk someday," Erwin's smirk turned to a full-blown smile. "Okay, let me think… Christ, are you one of those drunks who need to take their clothes off?"

Levi leaned in closer, smirk growing on his face before whispering, "Hot."

The look on Erwin's face was priceless. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline and his mouth parted slightly in surprise. Then something dark flashed on his features. Levi wished he could say he wasn't looking for that reaction, but the blush on Erwin's face was so out of place on his strong features, he couldn't help feeling satisfied with himself.

"Maybe," Erwin licked his lips. "We should have a few drinks sometime."

He leaned his face in a bit closer down to Levi's already close face. His eyes lingered on Erwin's lips. A mischievous smirk found its way onto his lips once more as his fingers brushed lightly on the knee of Erwin's leg. He leaned in closer yet, their lips only an inch away from touching as he let his fingers continue up the length of his inner thigh.

"No thank you," Levi said quietly.

"Huh?"

Levi stood up from the couch. He held back a chuckle at Erwin's wide-eyed, betrayed look.

"I told you I hate drinking," he said plainly.

Erwin stammered and this time Levi allowed himself to laugh quietly at him. He leaned back down to Erwin's face and placed his sweaty Heineken bottle in his hand. "We should get going. I have to edit some stuff for work."

"You're evil," Erwin breathed.

Levi shot him what was no doubt the greatest shit-eating grin of his life. He left him there on the couch as he made his way down the hall to get Eren and Mikasa. They left quickly and at the door, Erwin told him to consider his offer.

*

Levi actually did have pictures to edit that night. It was late and he'd been putting these pictures off for the past few days. Though he had no doubt that the newlyweds who contacted him would be happy with the photos, he found them rather boring. He much preferred when weirdos contacted him, like the frat kids who paid him to take maternity pictures of them posing as mothers and children. It was ridiculous and something you most definitely would expect from a group of drunk twenty-year-olds. He had a lot of fun with that one. Or the group of men who surprised their soon-to-be married friend with the shoot, all of them wearing wedding dresses and each posing as if they would be marrying him. The guys face went beet red as he laughed at the sight of a bunch of hairy men in dresses and veils while Levi prepped his camera.

As he reminisced, he heard a quiet knock on his bedroom door and checked his monitor for the time: two-thirty-seven in the morning. He got up and opened the door. He was greeted by a timid-looking Mikasa, hugging the notepad from two days ago against her chest and her muffler hanging off her elbow. She let herself in, walking past him and taking a seat on the edge of his bed, shoulders hunched. Concerned, he walked to his bedside table and turned on the lamp before pulling up his chair from the desk he was previously working on. He sat in front of her and took in her downcast expression. This was different from her usual behavior and she seemed so much smaller than what she already was.

"Is everything okay?" He pressed quietly, leaning forward to hopefully catch her eye.

Rather than answer, she uncapped the marker he hadn't realized she was holding and turned to a blank page on the notepad. Quickly, she scribbled down a message. He carefully accepted the upturned book from her.

_Did you only take me in to help Eren?_

Levi read it again. He glanced up at her and saw she was holding her muffler over her nose and mouth, only leaving her down turned eyes visible. With her other hand, she handed him the marker.

**_I took you in because I was worried about you._ **

He handed both items back. She read the short sentence over and quickly wrote her response.

_But if Eren hadn't said anything, you wouldn't have considered it._

Levi knew where this was going. He himself had questioned his own intentions, worried that he was only using her as a way to get closer with Eren. Since then, though, he knew that wasn't the case. He considered not telling the truth, giving some different excuse for taking her in, but one look at her stormy face told him he should be honest. That was one of his rules after all.

**_I took you in because you two were family before coming here. I know what it's like to choose your family and have them taken away._ **

Hesitantly, he handed it back. She read it and glanced up at him before returning to the notepad in her lap.

_I don't understand._

He sighed. He was thoroughly not ready to talk about this.

**_One day you will._ **

Mikasa sighed at this response, eyebrows twitching together in confusion.

_Eren says we're probably related._

Levi had admittedly forgotten about that.

**_He mentioned that to me as well. Even though we have the same last name, I didn't know most of my family so I can't say for certain. If you want, we can go to a doctor and get a test to see if it's true._ **

Mikasa took some time to think of her answer, and Levi was beginning to realize he was more tired than what he originally thought. He was so focused on finishing those pictures, he hadn't paid attention to the time. He didn't realize she was holding out the notepad until she waved it a bit in front of him.

_I don't know._

He didn't really expect an answer right away. If she ended up being blood related, he couldn't help but wonder how much more family he had out there. The possibility that he might never have the chance to form a familial bond with someone outside his late mother depressed him. He ignored it and wrote his answer.

**_It's okay. You can think it over and let me know if you're ever ready._ **

Her response was quick.

_Okay._

He nodded.

**_I want you to remember that I care about you just as much as Eren. You're not here for anyone but yourself, and thank you for trusting me._ **

He handed it back and though Mikasa's face was mostly obscured by her messy hair, the muffler had slipped low enough for him to see the small smile on her face. That made him happy. He was surprised to see her write something more.

_Can I have a hug?_

Levi's chest practically burst. He didn't know she could be so cute and it was all he could do to not break out in the dumbest smile imaginable. He leaned over and put the notepad and marker on the bed next to her and stood, outstretching his arms. Hesitantly, she stood as well and wrapped her arms gingerly around his waist, resting her forehead on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her slender shoulders and rested his chin on her head, holding her with soft firmness. They stayed like that for some time and eventually he began gently rocking them from side to side. Eventually she pulled away, eyes misty.

She rubbed at them tiredly and pulled her muffler over her nose. Levi patted her head.

"Let's get you back in bed," he said. "It's too late for you to be up."

He steered her out the room by her shoulders.

"You're awake," she mumbled.

"I'm an adult with bad habits and you shouldn't be like me."

She hummed. Once they were in her room, he pulled back the covers for her. She climbed back in bed and placed the notepad and marker on her nightstand before laying down. Levi patted her head again, pushing her silky hair out her face. Her bangs were do for a trim.

"Goodnight," he said, combing her hair affectionately with his fingers.

"Goodnight," she muttered.

He let his hand fall from her head and walked out, closing the door behind him. Once back in his room, he glanced at his laptop monitor and felt exhaustion creep its way further into his mind. He'd finish the pictures in the morning. He pushed his chair back under his desk, saved his work, and powered off the computer. He was happy to have had that moment with Mikasa and even happier that Hanji's notepad tactic had worked. He'd have to thank her soon. He stripped down to his boxers and practically fell into bed, falling asleep quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is longer & i actually dont hate it :D go me  
> idk if it's too early for Mikasa & Levi to have a good moment yet but gawd im impatient lol


	12. First Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> h.......hello..................
> 
> so i took a fatass hiatus. it's been like a month. school started & ive been suffering & with this suffering came so much exhaustion that as soon as i got home everyday i went straight to bed, got up to eat, then slept some more. BUT im back :D updates will be slower but hopefully not mearly as slow as this one.
> 
> also im not fully satisfied w this one probably bc its short as heck but idk its been a while since ive written gimme a min to get back into this

The morning of the first day of school was difficult to say the least. Firstly, it was a fight just to convince Eren to get out of  _ bed _ and even though Mikasa took less convincing, she had a rather sad energy to her movements.

Levi thought he would be much more prepared than what he was. Back to school shopping had been done, backpacks were filled, clothes had been bought, and arguments over going on the first day had been had. He even fulfilled his promise of buying them each a phone, though they were both Androids because Levi has a goddamn budget and he doesn't trust two kids not to drop those things at any given chance. Despite this, he was at a loss on the morning of school.

The house was chaos, at least by Levi's standards. He made the mistake of not packing lunches the night before and was currently working on two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while he and Eren yelled at each other from their respective places in the house. Eren offered him a thousand dollars to let them stay home, to which Levi countered with the promise of Sonic if he shut up and got ready. That didn't do much and though he didn't argue back, he doubted the chances of Eren actually getting ready.

Mikasa sat at the island with a plate of toast, quietly staring at the food with a deflated expression. She wore black leggings and a simple white blouse with a pink cardigan. Of course, she also had her red scarf around her neck.

"What's wrong?" He said, taking a break from lunch prep to lean on his elbows and look her in the eye.

She avoided his gaze. "Me and Eren aren't in the same class. Not even the same grade."

Levi sighed. The night prior, Eren had voiced those same concerns. "You'll both do really well."

She shrugged. "What if he gets in trouble?"

"As long as he thinks of you," he said. "I'm sure he'll keep himself under control."

She hesitated before speaking again. "I'm going to be alone."

"Hey," Levi reached over and poked her hand. "Annie is in your class, so you won't be alone. And you'll have lunch together, so you'll still have a chance to talk."

She sighed quietly and nodded.

Levi reached further and ruffled her hair. "Brave girl."

She swatted his hand away and he stood straight before calling out. "Eren, are you done changing?"

"Not yet!" Eren called back.

"Hurry!" Levi said.

He heard something that sounded an awful lot like mockery but he let it slide. Mikasa finished her toast and slid off her seat to wash her dish. He was grateful that at least  _ one  _ child was on top of things. 

"Go rush him for me," he said to Mikasa, who nodded and made her way to the hall.

He finished the lunches and zipped up the bags soon after. Mentally, he checked off the list of things he needed to do: wake up kids (check), have them get ready (sort of check), make lunch (check), have Erwin come over with Annie (not check), then leave (obviously also not check). He nodded to himself. Despite the struggle to pull the kids out of bed and waiting for Eren to finish changing they were almost making good time, though he didn't want to jinx it.

Levi didn't hear much rushing coming from Mikasa's end in the hall, so he made his way over to see what was going on.

Mikasa stood outside Eren's door, typing something away at her phone. He raised a brow at her and she shrugged, stepping back to let him at the door. He tried the door knob, and noticed it was locked. Keeping his hand on the knob, he knocked on the door.

"Eren? Are you done?"

No response. He twisted the knob again, and of course it was still locked.

"Eren?"

Silence.

A small worm of anxiety wiggled its way into his chest. He shook the knob some more and didn't see the look Mikasa gave him. In an instant, images of an ash-blonde man locked in a room appeared in his head. With that image, came the memory of the pill bottle help in his limp hand. With that memory came the spike of panic associated with a locked door and no response. He shook the doorknob a bit more violently, clutching it hard in his suddenly sweaty palm.

"Eren, open the door," he said, not noticing the way his voice rose steadily. "Open the door!"

Mikasa backed away from him.

"Levi?" her voice sounded worried, but he barely heard her, instead opting to begin banging on the door and yelling. He screamed at him to open the door as his chest tightened with every breath.

The door swung open, a very confused Eren on the other side, dressed in tan chino shorts and a green t-shirt.

"Jeez, it was just a joke—"

Levi grabbed him by the arms and held him there. He ignored the way he winced and stared intently at his face— he took in his pinched brows, his messy hair, and the way he wriggled in his grip. He didn't allow himself to loosen his hold on him, the ability to breathe escaping him. He somehow didn't feel Mikasa trying to pull him away.

He also hadn't realized that he was yelling at Eren as he shook him until about halfway through his sentence. Still, he didn't lower his voice, almost felt he couldn't.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he said, the desperation in his voice sounding foreign to his own ears. "What if something happened? How would I have gotten to you, huh?  _ How? _ What if you—"

The sudden spike of anxiety was strong enough to leave him somewhat lightheaded as Mikasa shoved him away forcefully and stood in a protective stance between him and Eren, who looked downright afraid, with her trembling fists raised.

Only then did it realize what he'd done. Up until this point, he'd done a lot of not noticing the things around him. That included the way he hands shook as they fell to his sides.

"New rule," he breathed heavily and gulped. "No locked doors."

The only response he got was Mikasa's cold glare as she pulled Eren out of the hall and into the living room by the hand. He avoided Levi's eyes, staring intently at the ground as he let himself be led to the couch. There were tears in his eyes.

Levi stared after them long after they'd left his field of vision. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity but in reality was probably just a minute or two. His outburst was random and intense and the anxiety that lingered as a result was both numbing and overwhelming. He felt an intense need to curl up and cry as he heard quiet sniffles coming from the living room. He rubbed harshly at his tired eyes with the heel of his hand, and nearly jumped out of his skin when the doorbell rang. The kids watched him warily with respectively glassy and unforgiving eyes as he made his way to the entrance.

At the other side of the door, a very ready looking and very pissy looking Annie stood side by side. Erwin wore a clean pressed blue suit that, if in a better mood, would have made Levi swoon. Annie's bag was nearly bigger than her, no doubt a result of her father's over prepared nature making her take a million supplies she probably won't need. He let them both in and they exchanged pleasantries at the entrance.

"Rough morning?" Erwin said in a voice that Levi could only perceive as condescending.

Levi scowled and walked away to the living room.

"Time to go," he said quietly to the two on the couch.

They moved together silently, grabbing their bags from the other side of the room and going over to the kitchen to grab their lunches. Erwin and Annie waited for them to get their shoes on and they headed out together.

Erwin had brought up the idea of taking the kids to school together around two or three days ago as another one of his grand ideas for helping the environment through carpooling. He hadn't minded at the time, but right now he would much rather not have to be around any other people.

"Want me to drive?" Erwin asked.

"No," he answered curtly.

As they all buckled up, Levi remembered he had wanted to get pictures of the kids on the first day of school. His heart sank with the knowledge that he probably just fucked up their day and, once again, felt an intense urge to curl up and scream his lungs out. He started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

*

Erwin, for whatever fucking reason, made conversation. It actually wasn't so much of a conversation as it was him just talking at Levi about how his and Annie's morning went while he half listened and quietly marinated in self hate.

Once he finished his grand reasoning for why Annie most definitely needed a compass and a college-level calculator for seventh grade math, they sat quietly. Levi quickly started to miss the distraction of Erwin's voice, but he didn't have the nerve to strike up any sort of conversation with the man. Every now and then he would glance at Eren and Mikasa through the rearview mirror, which only worked to further unsettle the already raging storm of guilt and regret in his chest. He seriously fucked up, and though he was sure he  _ could _ make it better before he had to send them off to a new school on an awful note, he wasn't comfortable doing it around other people in an enclosed space.

He decided to keep his eyes trained on the road, and his mind trained carefully away from images of cold, limp hands. Needless to say, it was a very long drive.

When they finally made it to the school, Erwin wished them all a good day.

"Love you, Annie," Erwin said.

"Love you too, Dad," she answered.

It was a very sweet scene: a father wishing his kid a good day at school, punctuated with a genuine "I love you." It made Levi sick— though with what, he wasn't sure. Eren and Mikasa both quietly and quickly made their way out of the car. He wished them a good day, but the door had already been closed.

He watched the three of them walk up the steps of the entrance. His already heavy heart managed to sink further into his chest, and he truly felt like the scum of the earth. He was only pulled out of his muddy thoughts at the sound of Erwin's voice.

"Levi?" He said. "Is everything okay?"

Levi gripped the steering wheel. They'd already made it into the building, but he couldn't help staring at the doors. Erwin gingerly placed a warm hand on his shoulder. Levi turned his head to him slowly, a hollow feeling taking up residency where his heart once was. They stared into each other's eyes for some time. Erwin seemed like he was searching for something there, but Levi would be no help finding it since he already felt lost.

"I'll drive," Erwin said softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woohoo! you all thought this would be a wholesome first day chapter & in all honesty so did i but then i was in a bad mood & my finger slipped. oops?


	13. Friendly Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my god this took a while. i wrote the first one or two paragraphs like a month ago & just pumped out the rest of it tonight. if that doesnt tell you all you need to know about my writing process then idk what does lol
> 
> seriosuly though im sorry these are taking so long, school & life is running me over

Erwin didn't stick around for long. He dropped Levi off at home and was quick to leave, causing him to suspect that he'd made Erwin late for work. Despite the rush, Erwin turned just before walking down the driveway to give him these parting words:

"I don't know much about being a foster parent," he said slowly. "But I do know about being a parent. If you ever need help with anything, I'm your man."

He hadn't waited for Levi's response, although he hadn't planned on giving one anyway. On a different day, those words have left him a mess; he probably would have felt his face heat up and his chest tighten at the sound of them. Instead, his chest felt just as empty as before. He watched Erwin walk the distance between their houses to get in his car from his porch, only entering his house when the aforementioned had pulled out his own driveway and made his way down the street. Even then he stayed standing there for a few moments, somehow finding it difficult to work up the nerve not to stand there like an idiot in front of his own house.

It was quiet when he entered. He kicked off his shoes and contemplated throwing himself on the couch before instead opting to dump his sad frame onto his bed. He imagined he was a sad sight. A grown man who can't handle his emotions well and ruining his kids' first day of school before dropping them off and coming back home to sulk. A grown man who doesn't deserve to have those kids in his custody.

He rolled to his side and brought his knees up. He swore to himself he would never put his hands on either of them. It was a promise made with such conviction that he couldn't imagine ever breaking it (his mother must be rolling in her grave right about now). Yet here he was, wishing he could go back and control his reaction to something as simple as a locked door. He truly wished it were that simple.

He rolled onto his back and brought his arm over his eyes. This can't lead to another one of his little episodes, he can't afford to fall into that hole. It'd been so long since he last had one and he was doing well. Still, he could feel it in his bones: This one incident would be enough to make him ignore his appointments and stay in bed all day for at least a month. Normally, this would be met with apathy. Who cares if he stayed in bed and didn't eat? But he doesn't live alone anymore. There were two kids who needed him to be functional. He had to take care of them. Still, he couldn't find it in him to get up and do something productive. He cracked an eye open as he let his arm fall beside him. His eyes trailed over to his nightstand where the picture of Eren with his middle finger out in front of the church sat in its frame. Next to it was a picture he had taken about a week or two back of Eren and Mikasa after they'd played with the makeup Levi had bought her. In it, Eren had his tongue poking out of his bright red lips and green eyeshadow plastered anywhere and everywhere but his eyes. He'd used eyeliner to draw two extra sets of eyebrows on top of the ones he already had. Mikasa stood next to him with her overly blushed cheeks puffed out in a rare bought of goofiness. Her eyes were crossed and she'd used eyeliner to draw little hearts all over her face, colored in with pink and purple eyeshadow. Her hair was also in messy pigtails that Eren had proudly done for her. Levi thought they looked ridiculous and immediately grabbed his camera.

Thank God that makeup was cheap.

Another wave of remorse gut punched Levi hard enough for him to come to a conclusion: He needed to call someone. Mentally, he looked over the list of people he's comfortable confiding in. He hadn't seen Petra, Auruo, Eld, and Gunter in a really long time. They wouldn't be opposed to coming over, and being around those idiots always put him in a good mood, but they all have jobs. Hanji was at work too. Moblit might be available, but Levi isn't very sure he wanted to bother him on his few days off. Then again, the only person who could probably give him professional advice was Hanji since she worked with children regularly. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed the home button. As he opened his messages, he hesitated.

Does he deserve to confide in anyone?

One look at the picture of Eren and Mikasa gave him the only confirmation he needed: It doesn't matter. _They_ deserve an adult who can properly take care of them, and the only way for him to do that is to take care of himself first.

He typed out a message asking Moblit if he was available. The response came fairly quickly.

 **Mob:** Yeah, whats up?

 **You:** Can you come over?

 **Mob:** Be there in an hour.

Levi sighed. He'd been irrationally anxious to invite Moblit over despite the fact that they were so close. He reprimanded himself for doubting the people in his circle.

*

It took longer than an hour for Moblit to get there. During that time, Levi attempted to get some work done but the dull images of a young woman's graduation party did little to stimulate him and did even less to serve as a good distraction from his muddy thoughts. Had this been a movie, the lighting of the room would have reflected the way he felt. His room would have been dark and muted, with the only source of light coming from the computer monitor illuminating his face in a dull blue lighting. It would have accentuated the dark circles under his eyes, the thin sheen of oil on his forehead, the shadows on his face caused by his frown. It would also probably be raining buckets outside, the background noise deafening to no one but him.

Enough with the melodrama, he thought to himself.

Shut the fuck up, he thought back to himself.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) the room _doesn't_ match his emotions. Warm sunlight filled the space from corner to corner despite the curtains being drawn. For some reason, he decided on the thin white ones from the store when he first moved into this house all those years ago. It seemed like a good idea at first, allowing the light to wake him up in the mornings since he had a tendency to sleep through his alarms. He sort of regretted it now. The ambiance of the room didn't at all fit his mood, and the obnoxiously cheery lighting made him want to punch Melissa R.'s smiling face through the screen.

He sighed and brought a knee up to his chest and resting his head on it. He stared and stared at Melissa R. and used the hand that wasn't wrapped around his raised shin to zoom in on her face and black out a few teeth with the brush tool, CTRL+ALT+Z three times, then blacked out her eyes. He sort of liked how it looked like that, but he probably shouldn't play around too much with his client's pictures. He probably should stop blacking out the eyes of the sweet-looking granny next to Melissa R. And the older man next to her. And the child next to him. The only thing that stopped him from vandalizing the face of his next victim was the doorbell. He exed out of Photoshop without bothering to save his progress (or lack thereof).

Moblit stood at the door with two bags of takeout, probably why it took him so long to get there. Levi stepped aside to let him in, closing the door after him while he kicked off his shoes.

"Sorry I'm late," he said as he and Levi made their way to the dining room. Levi walked past him to grab some plates. "They were understaffed and the owner, the one who always gets into it with his wife in the kitchen? He was yelling about napkin brands or something."

Levi sat across from him while Moblit unboxed the food.

"Isn't it too early for Chinese?" Levi raised a brow at the chow mein.

"They're always open stupid early, you know that," he scooped some white rice onto his plate. "Besides, any time is takeout time."

Levi didn't agree. Still, he took an eggroll and some noodles to humor him. They sat like that for some time, not doing much talking. Moblit might still think Levi doesn't like speaking during meals, but he hasn't minded much since having Eren and Mikasa around. The former loves going on tangents during dinner about whether or not secretly living in someone's attic or basement would be better in terms of stealing food.

Once they'd finished eating, Moblit cleaned up the plates and got to washing them. Levi would have typically argued with him to sit his ass down and let him handle the cleaning, but this time he just quietly cleaned up the boxes of takeout and put them neatly in the fridge. Moblit finished cleaning their two plates and forks not long after Levi finished in the fridge, and they both headed to the living room. Moblit sat half facing him and Levi sat facing the TV, which remained off.

"So, what's wrong?" Moblit asked quietly, seriously.

Levi sighed. Part of him still screamed that he still didn't deserve to talk about it, but it was soon quieted by the reminder that Eren and Mikasa needed him to be okay.

So, Levi took a breath and said, "I fucked up today. Badly."

Moblit nodded, a silent request for him to go into detail. Levi only saw the movement through his peripheral vision, not willing to look him in the eye for fear he might pussy out. He looked down at his hands on his lap and picked at a hangnail on his right thumb.

"This morning," he started quietly, just barely over a whisper. As he remembered his hands grabbing Eren, hurting Eren, his resolve began to crumble. He struggled to continue, unable to put the images in his head into words, all the while remembering Mikasa's voice as she pleaded with him to let Eren go. Thankfully, Moblit gave him all the time in the world and waited patiently to continue. Not once did he look away from Levi.

He sighed, noticing how it wavered towards the end and continued, "I put my hands on Eren."

He looked up at Moblit just in time to catch the surprised expression on his face before he had time to school it back to normal. Levi looked down at his hands again and let his hair fall over his face.

"What happened?" Moblit asked.

Levi sighed again, now turning his head away to look at the wall.

"I didn't mean to," this time he actually was whispering, not trusting his voice enough not to shake. "He— he locked his door and he wasn't answering. I— I was scared."

Moblit hummed next to him and Levi couldn't work up the nerve to turn his head and analyze his friend's expression. Instead, he continued as best as he could. 

"I thought of him," he said, trying hard not to choke on his words now that he was speaking a little louder. "I thought of Farlan."

"Levi…" Moblit gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

Levi shrugged it off. It was quickly becoming too much for him. He leaned forward and held his head in his hands, digging his palms into his eyes.

"When he finally opened the door, I— I just _grabbed_ him. I was shaking him and yelling. I don't even know what I said, I just know it was loud and Mikasa was trying to pull me away," he already felt hot tears threatening to escape his eyes, so he pushed his hands into them a little harder. "When she finally got between us it was, like, I don't know. It was like I betrayed their trust, and I _did_."

"You didn't mean to," Moblit said softly. "You know that."

"It doesn't matter," he snapped. "They don't know that. They think I did it on purpose."

Moblit started to say something, but Levi found himself interrupting. Apparently, he could now only speak in word vomit. "I wanted to apologize, I really did, but then Erwin got there with Annie and we had to take them to school and I couldn't bring it up in front of them because they didn't sign up to deal with my drama and I don't want Erwin to stop letting Annie be with the kids on account of me making a scene in front of his girl and because she's good for them and he's good for me and when I tried to tell them to have a good day they were already gone and I sent them to school on a bad note and Eren looked like he was still crying and I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of them or to say sorry and—"

This time Moblit interrupted him with a hand to the shoulder once again, causing Levi's head to zip up in alarm.

"Breathe," he reminded him calmly. He was doing that thing with his eyes that made Levi feel like bursting into tears. Which, of course, he did. He was already nearing that point anyway. His chest caved in and his brows pinched together as he brought a hand up to his mouth in hopes of not letting out a downright pitiful sob. Moblit pulled him into his chest as if by instinct and rubbed circles into his back the way Levi did with Eren whenever he cried. Levi was by no means a very touchy person, but he lets himself be comforted and shushed as he struggled for a full breath of air. Anytime it felt like he was getting anything more than a gasp of breath, his chest caved and collapsed all over again. It was cruelly appropriate because, unlike the lighting in his room, the breaking and beating of his chest matched the rampant, painful thoughts in his mind.

"I— " Levi croaked before choking on his own words and failing to suppress a sob. "I didn't want him to end up like Farlan. I didn't want to— didn't want to fail him too."

Somewhere through his hysterics, he was surprised Moblit understood him through his sobbing when he hears, "Farlan wasn't your fault. You did everything you could for him, Levi. He wouldn't want you to still blame yourself like this."

For a second, Levi didn't understand how his voice could sound so even, so calm. He also didn't understand how what happened _couldn't_ be his fault.

Before he could voice his disagreement, Moblit said, "Maybe you should tell them about it?"

Levi lifted his head to stare at him in disbelief. He sniffed a glob of snot back into his nose and grimaced in disgust. "I can't tell them about that. They—"

"They care about you, Levi," Moblit insisted. "They deserve to know. Then they'll understand why you did what you did and they'll know you didn't want to scare them like that."

Levi shook his head and sniffed again. "No, I don't want to just dismiss it."

"You're not dismissing anything," Moblit said sternly. "You'll apologize and you'll promise it won't happen again. But, I think they should know that it wasn't just some random attack. It'll be good to you too, explaining to them what happened. They're kids, yeah, but they're in your corner just as much as you're in theirs."

Levi remained silent, wiping away the stray tears from his cheeks. He really didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to talk about Farlan, or what pushed him to that point. He didn't want to talk about the dangerous way Farlan spoke after his discharge. He didn't want to talk about how those were the few times he ever even bothered speaking after what happened.

But, if what Moblit says is true, and that being honest with them would actually be beneficial… 

Once again, Levi is reminded that honesty is one of his rules.

He sighed. "I think you're right."

He didn't catch Moblit's smile. "Always."

They sat together for a long while after that. Moblit left Levi to digest the whole situation and the possible solution offered to him while he scrolled through his phone. To say a war was being fought within his head was a definite understatement. Eventually, he just gave up. He'd have to let his mind settle for some time before approaching the subject again so he can figure out what to do.

Moblit only broke the silence to ask, "So, who's Erwin and Annie?"

Levi gave him a confused look for a moment until it clicked. He realized that had been the first time he mentioned them to Moblit, or anyone for that matter.

"Neighbors," he said. "They moved in a while back and Annie goes to the kids' school."

"Ah," Moblit said simply. Then after a moment, "Is he hot?"

Levi's cheeks inflamed, and he hoped they didn't look as red as they felt warm. "He's just a friend."

Moblit raised a brow, clearly amused. "You say that like you go around calling just about anyone a friend."

Levi rolled his eyes.

"Is he gay?"

Levi sputtered. "What does that matter?"

"Well it does if you're going to get with him," he said it like it was obvious. "Actually, scratch that, me and Hanji should meet him first."

"I don't need you two's permission to do what I want," Levi deadpanned.

Moblit perked up and smiled wolfishly. "So you do want to get with him!"

Levi's eyes widened and he turned to face back to the TV, arms crossed over his chest. "That's _not_ what I said."

"But you did!" Moblit began annoyingly poking him all over his side. "You wanna get with him!"

Levi rolled his eyes so hard he practically saw his brain.

"Oh, wait if he's got a kid he might be straight," Moblit contemplated.

"That was just a phase," Levi muttered. Turns out that was the wrong thing to say because now Moblit's all over him, shaking him roughly by the shoulder excitedly.

"A _phase_? How would you know?" He was bouncing up and down where he sat like some little kid.

Levi slapped his hand away. "Fuck off."

Moblit deflated in his seat immediately. "How could you not tell us, Levi? You're supposed to tell us these things so I can practice my shovel talk and Hanji can practice her aim."

"Her _aim_?"

Moblit shrugged. "She's a better shot than I am."

"You're both psychos," Levi huffed.

"Maybe," Moblit laughed.

He sighed and smiled warmly at Levi, who raised a brow at him. "You're gonna be okay, you know. You three are a family now."

Hearing these words made Levi's heart do a somersault within the confines of his ribs. He shoved Moblit's dumb, smiley face away and reached for the remote.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: the long awaited explanation of Levi's shitty complicated life! yay!


	14. Enter: Armin (sort of)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy FUCK two updates in a week? that hasnt happened in ages  
> at long last, i give u all what u want. almost. ALSO! armin is here. sort of.  
> enjoy :)

Opening up to your children about your biggest trauma is, as it turns out, extremely difficult. Go fucking figure. It'd been a week and a half since what Levi has mentally been calling The Incident and he had yet to talk about it with them. Eren had mostly gotten over it by now, no longer avoiding Levi or staying quiet during dinner, but he was practically back to square one with Mikasa. She hadn't written to him about her day (a habit they soon fell into after the conversation about why he took her in) since The Incident. He even tried writing to her, slipping a paper under her door asking how her day was at school. Her short answer was slipped back to him in small letters: Go away. Now one would think that would be the last kick in the ass to call a family meeting or whatever other shit he saw on TV growing up, and address the elephant in the room, but, Levi was a stubborn coward. His guilt grew greater every day until it filled the entire house.

The only positive he could find in the week was that Erwin was around more often. He usually worked late, so Levi picked up Annie with his own kids and made them dinner. She offered to just go to her own house and wait for her dad to get home, but Levi didn't want her to be alone. When Erwin got there to pick her up, he always found some excuse to stay longer. A few of his more often used ones consisted of: "Man, it smells good in here. Is there any left over?" (there always was), "Eren needs help with math? Mind if I gave a try?" (Levi was terrible at math, so he always said yes), "Need help cleaning?" (he never did, but he let Erwin put the dishes away after he'd washed them.)

Today's excuse was different for many different reasons. For one, it was still morning and they had just dropped off the kids. As Levi stood to unlock the door, he noticed Erwin hadn't turned to leave for his car. Curious, he turned around to see him looking off to wherever and shuffling his feet. Levi thought he hadn't noticed him watching until Erwin met his eyes with an uncharacteristically timid smile.

In a low voice that shouldn't do the things it did to Levi's psyche, he asked, "Mind if I come in?"

Please do, he meant to say. What came out of his mouth was, "Don't you have work?"

Erwin brought up a hand and rubbed the back of his head. "I think I'm going to call out sick."

"Okay," Levi lifted a brow and looked down at Erwin's suit. In case anyone was wondering, yes, he did look amazing in it. No wonder the women at his office all want a piece of him. "You're still in work clothes, though."

Erwin looked down at himself as if he'd forgotten what he was in. He looked back up and chuckled. "I suppose you're right. If you don't want me to come in, it's okay."

"No," Levi said all too quickly, much to his embarrassment. He turned around and unlocked the door if only to hide the way his cheeks reddened slightly. "You can go change if you'd like."

Erwin stepped next to him and leaned down to face him. Levi kept his eyes trained on the doorknob that he had yet to turn. "I thought you liked me dressed like this."

Cruelty. That was the one word Levi could use to describe Erwin's actions. This might be his way of getting revenge for the time they almost kissed but if he kept using that voice around him, Levi might have to try and do much more than that.

"Do what you want," he answered disinterestedly. He could feel Erwin's smirk more than he could see it.

"I think I'll stay like this," he said.

Finally, his hands listened to his brain and opened the door. He made his way in as he heard Erwin chuckle again behind him. They'd flirted with each other before and each time Levi was left feeling giddy, though very few people would realize that. The only indication he ever really gave was a small smirk and twitchy fingers. Erwin followed him into the living room and fell into the couch like he'd lived there all his life. He shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over the backrest next to him before sinking lower into the cushions. Levi stood and watched him do this, watched his smile and his closed eyes, watched the way his eyelashes rested on his cheeks. And of course the way his dress shirt tightened around his broad chest with his arms stretched behind him on the cushions of the couch.

"Comfortable?" Levi asked sarcastically, walking over and taking a seat next to him.

Erwin cracked an eye open and Levi was reminded of their time on the porch while the kids played. "Very," he said easily. "I hate the office. I've only been there four months and everyday feels like I'm going crazy."

"It can't be that bad," Levi said.

"It's so _mundane_ ," he all but moaned.

Levi quirked a brow. Erwin seemed like the type of person to find joy in the mundane.

"What would you rather do?" Levi asked.

"I've always be something of a thrill-seeker. I was hard set on the army, but then Annie came around and I threw that to the backburner," he said. "I don't regret it. I grew up without my dad and I didn't want the same for her."

The mention of the army reminded Levi of Farlan. He ignored the thought and continued the conversation.

"Can I ask what happened?"

"To my dad?" he asked, then sat up with a sigh. "He died when I was young. Cancer. My mom wasn't around either so I spent most of my life with my grandparents."

This surprised Levi. They had different situations, but they both related to each other in the sense that they didn't have parents. Something about that made a warm feeling bloom in Levi's chest, despite how unfortunate it was. "I'm sorry."

Erwin waved him off. "It was a long time ago."

Levi nodded. He understood not wanting to talk about something like that.

"What are your parents like?" Erwin asked.

It was then that it occurred to Levi that he'd never spoken about his past with Erwin. He had half a mind to change the subject, but then he remembered that Erwin isn't all that different from him. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. 

"I don't have any," he found himself looking away from Erwin. "I was in the system up until my eighteenth birthday."

"Oh," Erwin said. Levi felt the couch dip next to him as Erwin slid closer until they were shoulder to shoulder. He nudged him with his knee, a silent request to look at him. Levi was met with a sympathetic smile playing on Erwin's lips, one that would have looked pitying on anyone else. "Still sure us meeting isn't fate?"

His words were playful, but they were said in the same low voice he used outside— deeper than a chasm and smooth as butter. It comforted Levi and made him nervous at the same time. He swallowed, and caught himself looking at Erwin's lips, which were no longer smiling. When he looked back up at his eyes, he noticed they were half lidded. He also noticed they were getting closer. A new wave of nervousness and excitement hit him, electrifying every muscle in his body. From this distance he could see his frosty blue eyes in detail, could see the flecks of dark blue in his irises, the mole under his left brow, the red tint dusting his sharp cheekbones. He felt himself leaning back, bringing a hand up to brush his fingers over Erwin's strong jaw as he slowly climbed over Levi. He brought his knee closest to the backrest up next to Levi's hip and pushed himself up with the foot still on the ground, one arm leaning on the armrest above Levi's head and the other placed gently on his waist.

They moved slowly, hesitantly, as if testing the waters. It's been a long while since Levi had done this, especially with another man. For a second, he hesitated again, afraid he'd forgotten what to do. After all, simply flirting was a whole other ballgame, and a much easier one at that.

But all his insecurity melted away as Erwin's lips touched his, moving slowly and sweetly. Levi didn't know how long they stayed like that, his mind too busy swimming in bliss to keep track of the time. He'd imagined this enough times before, but never wanted to act on it. They and their kids were friends, and he didn't want to ruin either of those things by bringing romance into it despite knowing good and well that Erwin felt the same. Now though, he felt stupid for not doing this sooner. His lips were soft and his cologne was probably the sexiest thing he'd ever smelled in his life. He only wished he was as prepared for this as Erwin— all he had on was old sweatpants, a plain black tee, and messy hair.

Again, his worries were silenced when Erwin bit his lip, causing a small gasp to escape his lips. Erwin took this as an opportunity to worm his tongue into his mouth. Levi didn't even care that neither of them had time to brush their teeth, didn't care that they were probably swapping millions of gross bacteria between them because Erwin's hand was snaking its way under his shirt, exploring the skin beneath it. He wrapped a leg around Erwin's back, pushing him lower so their groins connected. His hands left his jaw to undo the buttons of Erwin's shirt. Because as good as he looked in it, Levi wanted to see what was hidden underneath. And _damn_ what he saw did not disappoint. The kiss was broken when Erwin leaned back to shrug off his now open shirt and Levi let his eyes roam shamelessly over his torso, his broad pecs, the thin hair dusting over them, abs good enough to have been crafted by the gods themselves. He felt himself swallowing at the sight of the trail of hair leading into his pants which, by the way, looked rather tight at the crotch. He leaned up and pushed Erwin down by the shoulders to straddle his hips as he pulled his own shirt off.

He knew very well that his body was nowhere near as impressive as Erwin's, never having the time to go to the gym anymore, but seeing the way Erwin licked his lips at the sight of it made him not care. Slowly, he grinded his hips down and felt himself get even harder at the sight of Erwin throwing his head back over the armrest and letting out a deep sigh, eyes closed and brows pinched. Levi used this as an opportunity to kiss and suck at his strong neck, continuing the motion of his hips. The sounds of Erwin's voice filled him with confidence, and he trailed his kissed down to his collarbone and bit it lightly. He moaned as Erwin brought one of the hands cupping his ass up to pull at his hair.

"Don't," he breathed, pulling harder when Levi quickened the pace of his hips. "Don't leave any marks."

Levi silenced him with a kiss on the mouth, the movements of their hips in tune with their tongues. Levi felt himself reaching climax, heard himself moaning loudly. Erwin broke the kiss again and chuckled when Levi all but growled and tried to meet his lips again.

"Condoms," Erwin said, eyes blown out underneath him, cheeks a deep crimson. "Do you—" 

Levi's phone rang.

His goddamn _motherfucking_ phone just rang.

He pulled it out of the pocket of his sweatpants and checked the name of the contact. It was the kids' school. Erwin glanced at it in disappointment.

"I'm gonna ignore it," Levi mumbled.

"No," Erwin said, sitting up. "What if it's important?"

Levi grunted and sat back, not bothering to move from Erwin's lap. He tapped the green button.

"Hello?"

"Is this Levi Ackerman?" Came the woman's chipper voice.

"Yes," he answered. Erwin grabbed his hips firmly and began slowly grinding into his ass, apparently unable to wait despite being the one who told him to answer. He stopped when Levi smacked him hard as shit on the bicep.

"I'm sorry to inform you that there's been an altercation involving Eren Jaeger during third period." Immediately he bolted off of Erwin, ignoring his concerned look, and turned away from the couch.

"Is he okay?" He demanded. "What happened?"

"Well according to his teacher, he grabbed a textbook and threw it at another student before they both started fighting," she said. "He says the other boy deserved it, but he won't tell anyone why."

Levi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, irritation quickly killing his mood. "Is he being suspended?"

"Yes, unfortunately," she said, faux sympathy bleeding through the phone.

"I'll be there soon," he hung up.

Erwin stood up behind him, a hand on his shoulder blade.

"Is everything okay?" He asked quietly.

He sighed again in frustration. "Eren just got suspended for fighting."

"Oh shit," Erwin said. "Did he win?"

Levi smacked him on the chest. "I don't know, idiot, that's not exactly my concern."

"Right, right," he rubbed his chest. "Sorry."

"I have to go pick him up," Levi said, looking down at his forgotten hard-on.

Erwin swallowed and looked down at himself. "Yeah."

They looked at each other. Levi shifted his vision away from Erwin. "I should probably get changed…"

"Oh!" Erwin said, blushing. "Right, of course."

He turned back to the couch and shrugged on his shirt, which had made its way to the ground, working on the buttons.

Levi sighed and walked over to him. He stalled his hands with his own and craned his neck to kiss him again, tongue and all.

"We'll finish this another time," Levi promised.

Erwin nodded, still clearly disappointed. Levi finished buttoning his shirt for him, and ignored the domesticity of the scene. He walked Erwin to the door and watched him slip his shoes back on. Just before Levi could open the door for him, Erwin pushed him against the wall and kissed him again, slipping a hand under his thigh and lifting it up to wrap around him. This time it was Levi's turn to pull his hair, breaking the kiss only for Erwin to continue down his neck.

"Another time," he repeated. Erwin groaned and nuzzled his face into his shoulder. "I have to pick up my kid."

Erwin stepped back, looking like a wounded puppy. Levi couldn't help but laugh quietly at him before pushing his shoulder.

"Out," he said. He opened the door and slapped his ass as Erwin walked out the door.

"Hey!" Erwin laughed. Levi blew a raspberry at him in a very adult fashion and closed the door.

He looked again at his crotch and cursed it.

His shower lasted a bit longer than usual.

*

When Levi got to the school forty minutes later, he was fuming. Not only because of what happened earlier, but also because Eren promised both him and Mikasa that he would stay out of trouble. Now it's the second week of school and Levi is already getting calls. He walked into the front office and was directed to the Dean's hall, where Eren sat slumped in a plastic chair right outside an office room. His arms were crossed and Levi could already see the black eye. Now worry overtook his anger and he hurried to the boy's side.

"Eren," the boy in question practically jumped out of his skin, apparently not sensing Levi's presence. He kneeled down next to him and took his chin between his thumb and forefinger and inspected the damage. His eye didn't look too bad and he couldn't see any other visible marks on him. He grabbed his hand gingerly and lightly swiped his thumb over the bruises on his knuckles. "Eren, what the hell happened?"

Just as he was about to speak, the door to the office swung open. A bald, older man with a nustache stood over them. Levi straightened himself and stood.

"Are you Mr. Ackerman?" He said sternly.

"I am," he nodded.

"I'm Dot Pixis. I'm the head Dean of the school. Come in, please."

The man held the door open for the two of them and Levi led Eren in by the shoulder. They were met by a couple and their son who, for lack of a better term, looked properly fucked up. His eye was swollen, his lip was cut, and he had a nasty bruise on the side of his cheek. His mother stood behind him where he sat in one of two chairs in front of the Dean's desk, holding her son from behind. Her father stood next to the both of them, looking ready to lunge at Levi from across the room. Eren shuffled over and planted himself in the chair next to the other kid, head hung low. Levi stood behind Eren, keeping his hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you all for coming," Pixis said, leaning back in his worn leather chair. "Let's talk about what happened today."

The boy's mother yelled accusingly, spitting angry words at Eren while addressing Levi. "Your son attacked my boy unprovoked!"

Eren snapped and spit right back, leaning over the wooden armrest of the chair, "He called Armin a fucking pansy!"

"Eren!" Levi hissed before pulling him roughly back into the seat. When the boy's father took a step toward Eren, fists balled, Levi stepped stood in front of him, finger pointed in a warning.

"Not another step," Levi said, voice threateningly low.

"You ought to teach that kid a lesson," the man growled. "Before someone else does."

"You threatening my kid?" Now it was Levi's turn to step forward.

"Men," Pixis stood. " _Both_ boys were involved, therefore _both_ of them are responsible."

Now he addressed Eren directly. "I don't know if what you said was true, but when something like this happens, you tell a teacher. It's not your responsibility to fight other people's battles," then he turned to the other boy. "And young man, please learn to hold your tongue. You had this same problem last year as well. You'll both be suspended for the remainder of the week."

"This is ridiculous!" The woman yelled. "My boy didn't do anything wrong!"

"The school has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to fighting," he said. "My hands are tied."

She huffed and grabbed the kid by his arm as she pulled him out of the office while her husband followed them, giving Levi a parting snarl. When he slammed the door behind him, Levi rolled his eyes.

"Sorry for the trouble," he apologized to Pixis.

"Don't let it happen again, Mr. Ackerman," he said, brows raised seriously.

Levi nodded and led Eren out of the office and into the hall. He half expected to see the other boy's father out there ready to fight, but the hall was empty. They walked a few steps away from the door before Levi stepped in front of Eren and crouched to look up at him.

"What happened?" Levi asked calmly, despite very much feeling not calm.

"He called Armin a pansy," he said quietly, staring at his sneakers. "He wouldn't stop when I told him to, so I threw the book at him."

Levi sighed. "The Dean is right, Eren. You can't fight other people's battles for them."

"But—" 

"Think about Mikasa," Levi snapped. "Now she won't see you for lunch, think about how she's going to feel sitting there without you."

Eren quieted, staring back down to his shoes. The guilt was clear in his features. Levi sighed. It's true he said he would stay out of trouble this year, but if it was in defense of another person… 

"Next time someone picks on your friend," he said. "You come to me, and I'll take care of it. I just don't want you to get caught in the crossfires of someone else's problem."

The irony of that last line hit Levi like a pound of bricks because this isn't the first time Eren had been stuck in the middle of someone else's bullshit. Levi hurt him as a result of his own issues, and that reminder made his chest hurt. He straightened himself out and rubbed Eren's back.

"Let's get out of here, tough guy. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

Eren seemed to perk up at this. "Sonic?"

Levi smirked. "Anything you want."

Eren smiled down at his shoes as Levi ruffled his hair and they made their way outside.

"The girls are going to be all over you now," Levi commented. "Chicks _love_ bad boys."

"Ugh!" Eren waved his hand away. "Gross, Dad!"

Record scratch.

Did he just…

"I—" Eren stammered, waving his hands in front of him. "I didn't mean to— UWAH!"

Levi scooped him up in a rib-crushing hug and swung him around in a way that could challenge even Hanji's bear hugs before plopping him back down.

"What do you say we check out Mikasa and all get food together?"

Eren puffed out his flushed cheeks. "Whatever."

Levi smiled broadly, a rare occurrence, and noogied the top of Eren's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> full disclosure i am a lesbian who took a shot at male homoerotica. im sorry if it sucked BUT its ok hopefully
> 
> sidenote i would love to write a lesbian story at some point but my god there are no very popular wlw ships


	15. [NOTICE]

Hey guys! I have no idea how to start this at all but I've been thinking about this for a very long while and I've decided to discontinue this story. I know a lot of people like it and as much as I enjoy writing it I can't help but criticize a whole bunch of shit that i find wrong about it. When I started to feel unhappy with this story, I originally planned on just finishing it then rewriting it to fix whatever I thought was wrong. But then the more I wrote the more I thought of how shitty I thought the way the story was being told. So I sort of lost my passion for it. I know it's just a fic and I really shouldn't be taking it so serious but I want to do the best I can with writing and I didn't feel this was the best I could do. I also noticed that as I was writing, I was beginning to treat it more like an episodic sort of story rather than one with a single, linear plotline. I hated that.

So basically, this is my very wordy way of saying that im going to be rewriting this and none of the chapters will be published until the entire thing is done! I don't know how to explain it but this way I can force myself to flesh out a neater plot and figure out how I want the whole thing to work. It will be posted seperately, but I'm not sure if I'll keep itt under the same name yet.

I'm sorry if this disappoints anyone, especially those to take their time to comment on every chapter! I love reading you guys' comments, they make me really happy. But! I will be back >:D

I might make a tumblr dedicated to my writing since that's not really something I ever post about on my personal, so if and when I do, I will link it for anyone who wants updates on the story.

Anyways, have a good one, see you soon <3

**Author's Note:**

> i appreciate any and all feedback!


End file.
